Luster of Gold
by TellThemNaegi
Summary: Makoto could never not help others, given a chance. That compulsion defined him. It drove him to become a detective, but when faced with the dark side of humanity, he doubts. He doubts others, his purpose, and himself. Whenever the crude and mysterious Junko enters his sights, he forgets, and the illusion of a normal life resumes. Right until he wakes up from a dream, years long.
1. The Second of Many Mistakes

The Eden Project was the largest greenhouse in the world, at a size of 22 000 square meters. It was home to rainforests, tropical gardens and waterfalls. A tourist attraction that attuned man with nature...before its destruction.

The Gofer Reserve was modeled in memory of that grand achievement. A hexagonal-framed dome built to protect the forest inside, sectioned off from the rebuilding city that surrounded it on the all sides. Preserving nature and wildlife was one of the first steps to rebuilding.

The reserve wasn't located in England, and calling it Japan wasn't right either. Those distinctions no longer held meaning.

The forest inside encapsulated a clearing the size of a small field. It was a park; thus, it wasn't surprising to see toddlers present. Two to be exact.

The legs of a spiky, brown-haired boy dangles in the air. His hands grip the thick rope connecting the seat and stand as he swings back and forth. A white surgical mask covers the bottom half of his face. His expression is downcast, eyes were pink-tinted. A common sight if you'd ask a common passerby, assuming they'd stop to spare a glance. The extraordinary case was that the other child did _not_ wear a mask. The girl with short red-hair, digging in the sandbox a few feet away. A short distance divides two worlds, disparate as night and day.

Children commonly believed the world revolved around them – that others were extension of themselves. Hence, the boy can't shake how unnatural it was for the girl to ignore his existence _entirely_. Jeers, pity, irritation or even consolation would have sufficed. She offers none. The shovel - much too large for her - is more worthy of her attention.

Curiosity overwhelms hesitation.

Was digging so much fun? She'd been at it before he arrived. Dirt and sand mar her body from head to toe.

He, Makoto Naegi, jumps off the swing and breaks down the walls separating them.

"H-Hello."

She doesn't reply at first, still focusing on her task. He can see that she wasn't digging but piling clumps of sand onto one area.

This time, Makoto taps her shoulder.

"Hi, watcha want?" Her friendliness catches him off guard, considering she'd ignored him for so long. Even more surprising, were the layers of bandages and wrappings on several parts of her body.

It hurts to look at, but not enough to refrain from asking. "Are you okay?"

She blinks at first, leaving seconds of silent staring in wake. Finally, she nods. "Mhm. Why?" She speaks with such clarity and assurance that he feels silly for being concerned.

"Uh…no reason." If she wasn't hurt, then it was fine. Maybe the bandages are decoration, or she was playing a game. There were lots of people like that. "What are you playing?" He points to the sand

"Hide and seek."

"Eeeh?" Makoto's head sways in every direction. They were in an open field, with nobody else. "Who are you playing with?"

She raised a finger to her lips. "That's a secret."

The boy pouts, feeling left out. "Okay…are you hiding?"

"I'm in plain sight, dimwit."

"I-I'm not a dimwit." He argued back, spouting the final word with an off-beat tone. He didn't even know what the word meant, but the delivery meant it couldn't have been a compliment. Put off by the mocking giggles, he asks. "Then you're 'it'?" The seeker.

"No."

"Wha? H-How are you playing?"

"I'm _making_ the game, someone else will play. I already picked who's hiding though."

"I don't get it." He slumps

She latches onto the shovel, the edge stuck in sand. She smiles. He thinks it's pretty. She's pretty. The grime won't stain her natural shine. They only made her more distinct, and foreign. Not many people smiled like that. Not anymore.

"Then, do you want to play? I can swap who's hiding for you." She offers, tightening the grip on her shovel

Makoto declined. "No thanks. I don't want to play." This game didn't have an 'it'. If he hid, then nobody would ever find him. It sounded boring and lonely.

He didn't like being alone.

The girl nods and returns to digging. For a while, he watches her practice diligently. Right up until the rumble of her stomach

'Is she hungry?' His assumptions prove correct when she placed a hand to her stomach and grimaces.

The boy made a round trip to the swings and back to the sandlot. Only this time he brought with him a boxed lunch. The contents were too much for him to finish alone but were made with care.

"What's this for?" She asks.

"You're hungry, aren't you? I'll share."

She returns with the same look she'd given him when he'd asked about her injuries. Utter bafflement.

"Okay."

He beams as brightly as the sun used to.

The two eat in silence. Well, he does after pulling down his mask. She's both loud and graceless in her eating. It's not hard to notice when she abruptly stops.

"Aren't you going to finish?" He asks.

"…Could I share some with my sister?"

A chord strikes at the mention of a relative. His heart beats, slow and pained. "Sure." He says, with distinctly less cheer.

It doesn't go unnoticed. "Did your mom and dad make these?" His red-haired companion enthusiastically inquires. Unlike moments before, her eyes dissect him like a curious student having their first go at a frog.

She must like the food – He thought.

But she was wrong. "They went away." Came his sullen reply.

"I see." Her mirth lingers. "Then we're the same. We're both alone."

He tilts his head. "But you said you had a sister..."

"Yup. I have a mom and dad too. But I am alone." She confuses him, repeatedly...but he couldn't deny her words. He felt they were the truth.

That's even stranger. Maybe she meant something else? "Don't you love your family?"

"Love?" Her eyes drift and settle on him once she finds an answer. "Daddy says he loves me a lot." She beamed upon arriving to that conclusion.

"That's…not what I asked."

She sighs exaggeratedly. "This is boring." As if to end the conversation, she stands, turns away from him and returns to work after the break.

"I shouldn't have said anything." Makoto quietly admonishes himself. He doesn't know how much time passes until she finally speaks to him again.

"You." He perks up when addressed. "Is it a big deal? To love someone?"

"I…don't really know," More precisely, he didn't know how to _explain_. Loving someone, being loved in turn, and everything in the middle – All of that was felt than conveyed through words. "but I feel warm inside knowing someone out there likes me, and I like them." In this case, there were only two people like that in the world now for him.

"Will I be happy if I said I loved you?"

Makoto splutters. "… I think it works better when you love each other." He scratches his reddened cheeks. "But…if you said that for real, I'd be really happy." He finishes with a wide, infectious smile.

She presses a finger to her chin. "Then...it would be fine if we both said it to each other?"

"Sure." He nods.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

...

She approaches him, her hands motion to cup his cheeks.

Makoto's breath hitches at the closeness, however she makes no further movements, instead analyzing him.

"Pretty. I've never seen that color before."

The brunet flushes. "H-Huh?"

She unhands him, replying with a question of her own. "What's your name?"

"M-Makoto Naegi. Yours?"

"Not telling~" She retorts with a teasing smile.

He shoots her a betrayed look "Why? That's not fair!"

"Because..." Her hands press against his small chest "I'm mean." She pushes harshly, sending the brunet falling back into the sand with a yelp.

Giggles burst into laughter when she sees him clumsily try to stand. Now, he's as dirty as she is.

Tears fall from Makoto's eyes, quickly followed up by explosive cries.

The laughter freezes and her smile thins to the point that she might as well have not been wearing any sort of expression.

"Makoto!"

Alerted by his cries, a timely, blue-haired girl came running. She stopped by and picked the boy up, wiping the tears and sand with a handkerchief. "Dad and I were looking all over for you."

"Sayaka..." His cries dim.

"Huh?" Blue turns to face Red. The former finally expanded horizons beyond Makoto. She looks to the sand, the shovel and the other girl's form, namely her hands. Then finally back to Makoto's shirt and her cloth.

The bluenette bows. "…Sorry if he was bothering you. We'll be going." Sayaka said, grabbing Makoto by the hand without waiting for a reply.

As he's dragged along, Makoto looks back at his acquaintance and waved goodbye, forgetting the cause of his tears, moments earlier.

"Makoto...was she your friend?" Sayaka grips his hand tightly.

"I dunno."

"...don't go off on your own again. And um…let's get you a new shirt." She warned.

Makoto couldn't see her face. He looked down to his shirt, noting spots of pink. "Where'd this come from?"

Back at the sandbox, the girl stared at the path they'd exited through. A shade of a smile on her features.

"Not quite alone, are you?" She said to nobody. The red-haired girl picked up the shovel and the remainder of the lunch box, hoping she wouldn't stain the cover with the pink blotches on her palms, matching the stains on the shovel's tip.

She resumes digging, lost in her own world until she's ready to leave.

The girl tip-toes home. It takes some time before she exits the edge of the reserve. What awaits her is a scenery far removed from the dome. Everywhere she looked, men, women and children wore surgical masks, moving about lethargically.

She inhaled the toxic air and breathed a sigh. She looked up to the 'sun'. A dome of a dizzying size circling the city. It's design identical to the one surrounding the reserve. If one were to step outside, all they would see when looking up at the clouds, was a poisoned, red sky.

The faceless drones were the furthest thing from her mind. She was thoroughly preoccupied with the boy from earlier, who'd said all those strange things to her.

The girl who would call herself Junko Enoshima clutched the lunchbox tightly against her chest. Her lips curve upwards at the memory of his most distinct quality.

"He had cool eyes."

A striking gold.

* * *

**Author's note: This fic is inspired from Arcawolf's As Old as Time. If you've read it, expect to see some similar plot threads. If you haven't then this will be new to you. I recommend looking AOAT over. Not only as a good read but a chunk of this story's enjoyment will come from dramatic irony, based on AOAT and canon. As one example, Junko won't be watered down from her original, which might spell danger for an unsuspecting Makoto.  
**


	2. Midnight Sun

"Mom, Dad. What's its name?" A little girl with electrifying pink hair holds up a baby golden retriever.

"We'll let you decide, Kotoko. It's your birthday after all." This mother looked like an older model of her daughter. Similar, but more refined and endowed in every way.

"By the way, _he_ is a boy." The father said, different from the others. He was the one who brought the dog here.

All 3 circled around, adoring the newly purchased

"Did he cost a lot?" Kotoko glances at her mother. The father's expression tightens.

"Your father and I could never put a price on your happiness."

The pink-haired girl beams. "I'll call you...Chuck! Do you like that?"

'Chuck' responds with a yip.

"Hand him over for a second. I'll have him registered." 'Dad' reached for the collar on the puppy's neck, pressing down on an oval shaped, blue panel. A transparent screen flares from the light. Rugged fingers tap the five-letter word at the display.

"And…we're done. Welcome to the Utsugi household, Chuck."

* * *

This shelter...or mansion was a lot bigger than the last one. The unfamiliar walls stretched on without limit and between the mansion's size and his short legs, he tired quickly. Whenever his young owner saw this, she carried him and ran around the home.

Mom often scolded her for doing so. Sometimes gently, others loudly.

"He's still a puppy. Don't run around with him too much. Don't carry him all the time, either, or he'll never learn how to walk."

"Really!?" Kotoko stared, wide-eyed.

"Yes, so be careful…unless you want his legs to fall off." The Utsugi matriarch grinned. She sat on an ornamental chair. She motioned the two to approach with a wave of the hand. Chuck crawled into her lap, while Kotoko opted for resting her head on the side of the chair. Mom stroked both hair and fur with a gentle smile on her features.

She was in a fine mood today.

* * *

Kotoko didn't carry him as much after that, even if her hesitant glances gave her inner struggles away. Chuck was fine with it, since the mansion was getting smaller every day. Meanwhile he was constantly growing, and soon he was able to go for walks outside with mom and/or dad. The only downside were other humans. Anyone outside the family discomforted him, exemplified by excited barks whenever strangers drew close.

That's not to say the dog hated walks. Today, the women took him to visit the reserve. It was one of the few places to find these green strands called _grass_ that grew from the ground.

Chuck's ears perk up at the rustling of the trees. A tiny, black animal scurries down the large trunk.

Bark!

"These are trees, silly." Kotoko answered him.

Chuck taps against the tree repeatedly, calling to the smaller, less furry creature.

It circled around the tree, jumped down and ran into the woods.

A tug on his leash prevents the dog from giving chase.

"You can't run off..." Kotoko held the strap with both arms until the golden retriever quit struggling. " What _was_ that?"

The older woman's worn eyes catch the fleeing animal. Her features contort into mild surprise. "...A squirrel." Both heads turn to her. Mom narrowed her eyes at Kotoko. "Didn't you learn about them in school?"

Kotoko puffed her cheeks. "Mooom, you've been nagging a lot lately." She gets a flick to the head for complaining.

"Squirrels are endangered animals…They used to be common, a long time ago." She drifted off, deep in thought. "…So, they're still around. It must be a sign of good luck." She joked.

Kotoko brimmed with mischief. "Chuck...let's catch that squirrel."

"If you do, don't injure it." Mom called, as they left her behind.

There was one more reason the dog was eager to run after the squirrel: to get away from the lingering odor it detected in the clearing.

* * *

Chuck spent his days like this, playing happily with everyone. Kotoko told him he was around a month old. And to commemorate that age, she bought him a new collar, with a blue-quartz gemstone on its side. Noticeably, Kotoko had one too. Rose-colored, embroidered on a hairband with horns on the sides. Occasionally, Chuck could see Dad's too; a green-colored one. Only Mom's was distinctly different. A pendant with a glowing pink crystal encrusted on it; one with a sharper radiance than Kotoko's.

One day. he'd crawled onto her bed, where she'd been resting periodically for the past few days. He focuses on the necklace.

The older woman grimaced.

Chuck's tail ceased wagging. He lowered himself onto the bed with a whimper.

Mom's face softened at the sight. "Sorry, I'm sick, I think." One hand went to remove the necklace and set it down before him. The puppy sniffed at the gem, puzzled by how the stone's light grew dim once out of her reach. Chuck relies on the only investigative tool known to him – His mouth opens wide and tries to swallow it whole. The owner pulls the gem back just before he could and looked at him sternly. "Topaz will make you sick."

His whines.

"As long as you understand." He mewled as she rubbed between his ears, the pleasurable sensation taking priority over the minor discomfort of her cold touch. "It must be boring being cooped up in the house with me. Maybe when I'm healthy again, I can take you back to the reserve."

Chuck yelped happily at the mention of his favorite place.

Blissful memories are disrupted by hacking, unrelenting coughs. The unpleasant noise unbefitting the woman's normally appealing voice. They persist for nearly a full minute. At the final stretch, drops of pink fluid escaped her hands and fall to the bed. Chuck noticed the color was the same as her necklace.

Chuck's beady eyes shoot up. An intense pain, like needles pricking his skull, spikes. They were in fact pointed nails. She slowly cranes her fingers inwards, transforming the once tender caress into a claw-like grip on his head. Her nails dig roughly enough to rip off strands of fur.

She wears a dazed, far-off look, oblivious to her movements. Repeated pleas in the form of loud, pained barks and violent wriggling snap her out of the trance. The second her hold loosens, Chuck scampers from the bed and scrambles out of the room.

…

Once alone, she faces forward, her features warp into a mix of shock and fear. She dares to look down at her right hand, where her left gripped at her wrists to stop the shaking. She opens her palm to see lines of golden hair.

* * *

Mom went away. He'd first become aware of the permanence of her absence from the change in atmosphere in the family. Despite the periodic hysteria, there had still been a happier dynamic compared to _after_ she left. Kotoko cried a lot. In contrast, Dad became much quieter after that 'doctor' person came. Soon after, they moved to a new mansion. Kotoko called it a house this time. It was small. Even though Chuck had never been here before, he ran through the whole place in no time flat.

...

"Dad told me it's an illness." Kotoko started, snuggling against the dog in her bed, not nearly as big as it once was. "It changes us, and it can happen to anyone. Dad, me, even you." She holds onto him tightly.

Chuck drags his tongue over her cheek.

"What am I saying? You'd never hurt me." She says with a distant look in her eyes.

Kotoko was always with him at home. Chuck couldn't get to go outside anymore. He stayed indoors, often embraced by the little girl whenever she returned from school. It wasn't fun. But it'd be even less fun to leave her alone.

One fateful evening, Dad asked if he wanted to go for a walk.

Chuck wagged his tail. Together, they left Kotoko behind, sleeping in her room. The dog noted the change in their environment. The pristine quality of the 'outside' had deteriorated. The area was dirtier, there were more people. More unhappy people.

Dad ribbed his fur when they sat by a bench. It felt like the last time Mom petted him "You're a good boy."

Chuck yipped, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Thanks for making Kotoko happy. But we-I can't afford to keep you." With a guilt-ridden face, he pressed down on the blue panel on Chuck's collar...

Chuck felt a spike in his neck. A needle extended from the collar and pierced his flesh. The effects were fast-acting. His body grew heavy, the world around him spun and color faded.

* * *

He wasn't sure when he awoke, only that he was alone.

His only companion from thereon was the cold wind.

Chuck howled to no avail. Eventually, he tired of waiting and tried trailing his way back to the house. His efforts yield no results. He'd once thought the outside was large, but he grossly misunderstood how expansive it really was. Not just in terms of distance, but in height. The clustered high-rises stretched on forever, daring to reach for the sky. It made him dizzy.

That wasn't to say he was alone. Far from it. There were too many people in this city, and that agitated him. If there were less, he might've been able to distinguish humans he knew from the ones he didn't and find a way back home. Instead the countless unfamiliars (including other animals) were in the way. He growls at any who got too close. Which was thankfully rare. Everyone minded their own business, seldom sparing more than a glance to a stray…

The sun had come and gone lots of times. Chuck learned to seek shelter during the night; that's when it was coldest. But sometimes, he couldn't find anything resembling cover. Those times were the worst…and tonight was one of them.

It was cold, and he was frightened. That too passes as night comes and goes. Again, and again.

It wasn't a surprise when he'd gotten sick. The first signs were the violent coughs. The next was increased anxiety. The last was when he started spitting out a thick, eerie blue fluid. It tasted like iron.

Walking around was harder than when he was only a newborn. Still, humans passed him by. Chuck takes his last steps before crumbling near a statue. He'd adjusted to the cold and the feeling in his body had numbed. All that remained was fatigue. If he closed his eyes, he probably wouldn't have the strength to open them again.

One last time he whimpered, assured nobody would respond. And surely, none did. Having given up, Chuck lazily drifts to sleep...

"You alright there, little guy?" A serene voice rang out. It was entirely unfamiliar but carried a hint of affection. It reminded Chuck of the first time he'd met his family.

The dog weakly raises its head, thinking it must have misheard...however, this human was clearly looking at him. A man, much older than Kotoko but not nearly as old as Dad. His hair was a messy brown. He had golden eyes hidden behind glasses. During better times, Chuck may have been curious about the crooked strand of hair sticking out.

"I got this for you...here." The human reached into his pocket and unwrapped a brown-colored bar. "I'm not really sure what dogs eat, but I think peanut-butter bars are edible. Maybe." He sounds unsure of himself.

Chuck sluggishly stands. He grits his sharp teeth and growls at the man. It doesn't have the intended effect, clearly, judging by how the man doesn't leave.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a detective, a good guy." He crouches closer. Bad idea. With strength surprising Chuck himself, he leaps and bites the outstretched hand.

The candy bar slips and falls to the ground.

Normally, the golden retriever wouldn't attack humans. It didn't like them, but that didn't mean it wanted to hurt them. A surge of anger spurned him to attack, defying his own bodily limitations. To put in human terms – he wanted to throw one last punch.

Fangs sink deep into flesh. The bite isn't very strong, but enough to draw blood quickly.

…

Chuck quickly releases the hand. With inexplicable curiosity, his tongue falls and licks the bodily fluids. Slowly at first, then he picks up speed, lapping up the blood like it were water. That is, if water had been the most delicious thing the puppy had ever tasted.

A hand falls atop Chuck's head. The animal's gaze flies upwards to see the bespectacled man offering a pitying smile, not nearly as wide as _before_ he'd been attacked. His features are soft, but no longer unassuming.

There's pity, nonetheless. "You must have been out here for a long time...Do you have a home?"

Chuck yips energetically. It runs around the man, stops and stares in every direction. He remembered he was lost. Still, his earlier exhaustion feels like a bad dream. Chuck returns his attention to the strange human and…and…and _stiffens_ as his body is wracked by pain. There's no origin point or warning, pain _explodes_ everywhere, like his insides were lit on fire. The contents of his stomach spill onto the floor.

The detective massages Chuck's back with slow circular motions. "It's alright…I'm not mad," He says. He says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a piece of cloth to wipe the vomit from the dog's mouth "But you shouldn't bite people. You'll get sick."

Chuck's ears fall forward as he whimpers.

"Apology accepted." Unexpectedly, the brunette slides his hand underneath the retriever's chest and picks him up.

"Good thing you're not grown yet." He remarks as Chuck's fur grazed and tickled his chin. He was seemingly unworried about his now dirtied suit. "Let's get you somewhere warm, then we'll find your owner."

The pain fades as quickly as it arrived. That implicit promise evoked an emotion once lost. Hope. Amidst cold of night, this human was warm like the rising sun.


	3. Starlight

"Good work, Naegi." The chief of police said from behind the desk.

"Thanks, Togami-kun. Um…I didn't mess up, did I?"

"… If we go by results, I have nothing but praise for you. If we go by procedure, I'd be forced to send you in for psychiatric evaluation." The other bespectacled irritant taps at his desk. Byakuya Togami was young, very young, however his credentials and accomplishments in the force left no room for anyone to doubt he was deserving of his position. "Owari asked me to deliver a word of thanks after the interrogation…this is the very first time I've heard a suspect _thank_ the reason for their capture."

Togami referred to the robbery that was resolved very early this morning. The perpetrator was Akane Owari, a resident of the lower sectors. Owari used her connections as a security employee to shut off alarms at a jewelry store. Depending on perspective, it was good timing that one of the company's employees stuck around to witness the heist and alerted the authorities. Unfortunately, they were taken hostage soon after.

"I didn't do all that much." Naegi replied. A whole team had been dispatched to act as a barricade, but their advances were halted due to the hostage.

"I don't think talking a woman undergoing a psychotic breakdown into giving up, falls under 'wasn't all that much.' You probably saved a life today and lessened the suspect's sentence. Be proud of that."

"You're giving me too much credit. Anyone could have done what I did, all they needed to do was talk and listen. Owari-san is the one who made the decision to turn herself in." Naegi smiled, not willing to accept undue credit. "She wasn't a nice person in the end."

Togami scoffed. "Not exactly the label I'd give to someone endangering innocent lives."

"She calmed down anyway after a chat." Naegi scratched his cheek. "Right, Kirigiri-san?" He spoke to the most silent person in the room, who now appeared even more intimidating than usual.

"…Naegi's not modest or crazy." Kyoko Kirigiri, a lethal beauty and the star of the precinct, addressed the police chief with a stoic mask "Just stupid."

"Kirigiri-san!"

"Hmm…that's fair. It must be infuriating having to put up with him. Tell me if you ever feel the need to change partners."

"I'm dangerously close to taking you up on that offer."

"Y-You guys! I'm in the room, you know?"

"I'll take my leave. The debriefings need to be sorted out." Kirigiri's heels clacked as she exited the door.

"If you couldn't tell, she was angry." Togami was ever so fond of stating the obvious.

"I could tell."

"Then what are you waiting for? An invitation?" The chief shoo'd him out of his office.

"You don't have to be such a jerk." Naegi retorted.

"Excuse me? Is that how you address your boss?"

The rookie detective rolled his eyes "You've been my boss for a year. We've been friends since middle-school."

"Making _a lot_ of assumptions there." Togami snorted. "And fair reminder that friends don't have to hand out pay-checks."

"You admit it then?"

"Hypothetically speaking. Now leave. I'm busy."

"Yes, boss. Here's hoping you'll be honest with yourself one day." He hurriedly left before the "chief" threw out an avalanche of insults at him.

* * *

Later that evening, Naegi placed a box of donuts and coffee on Kirigiri's desk.

"…Is this an attempt at pacifying me?" She raised her head from the stacks of paper. Kirigiri-san was a strange one, still using what many considered an outdated mode of recording information. Then again, he had a few strange quirks himself.

"You skipped lunch." He wore a disarming smile.

"You have no intention of apologizing then?"

"I don't think I did anything wrong."

"You saw nothing wrong with approaching a crazed suspect that could have snapped you like a twig, by yourself, unarmed, despite my direct instructions against?" Kirigiri arched an eyebrow, her voice raising.

"I…had a feeling she wouldn't hurt me." Naegi withered under her cold glare.

"That intuition of yours?" Kirigiri asked, not in mocking, but genuine appreciation of his talent. She'd learn to rely on it somewhat. It wasn't 100% accurate, but the probability was high enough to consider Naegi's intuition dependable. But you could also rely on a broken clock being right twice a day.

At least that's how he prefers to perceive Kirigiri's thoughts, based on experience.

"Yeah. She didn't look dangerous, just misguided…and scared."

"People are most dangerous when they're afraid." Kirigiri reprimanded him. "However, I suppose empirical evidence has supported you often enough. It almost makes me wonder if you've got a real sixth sense."

"My sister might've rubbed off on me." He joked.

"Don't quit your day job." Kirigiri deadpanned.

Naegi laughed.

"So…are we cool?" He asked lamely.

"If by 'cool', you mean I don't feel like bashing my head against a brick wall? Then yes." Kirigiri smiled.

"Great!" Naegi beamed. "Oh, let me help."

"What have I said about you touching paperwork!?" Kirigiri's stoic demeanor cracked, betraying a modicum of fear.

"Come on, I'm not that klutzy. You can count on-woah!" Naegi reached for the stack of paper, but accidentally toppled over the coffee and spilled its contents, soaking the formerly white sheets, brown.

Naegi gulped, turning his head to Kirigiri, who listlessly observed the fruits of her many labors poisoned.

A ball of paper hit Naegi on the head; instead of falling off, his spiky hair catches it in place. Naegi finds the culprit. Saihara mouths. 'R U N'

He doesn't need to be told twice. He didn't want to die, and even less, he didn't want Kirigiri-san to be charged for murder. Even she would have trouble getting away with manslaughter in the middle of the station.

* * *

"Get home safe."

"I will." Makoto waved to a colleague, before the front door closed behind him. A cold breeze welcomes him outside. It'd be nice if he could afford a car one of these days.

"Maybe I could ask Togami for a promotion some time." Naegi fantasized, but for now he'd have to buckle up and enjoy the walk home.

The platform he traveled on was over one hundred meters above ground. Still, if he lifted his head, he'd still see skyscrapers extending farther upwards "Glad I'm not afraid of heights…"

That'd be an unfortunate condition for anyone who lived in Hope's Peak. The current population was 180 million. The size was equivalent to a tiny country in diameter; even seas and mountainous regions were within the megacity's territory.

Only a handful of cities like Hope's Peak exist; even less as technologically advanced. Loud advertisements intensified the vibrant atmosphere of district 14. Neon lights illuminated the city of glass, making white snow glitter an artificial gold where he stepped.

A slew of civilians floods the walkways. Many had open smiles on their faces, signifying their brand of happiness, whether they blended or clashed with others. The state of Hope's Peak reminded him of a painting - a conglomerate of colors melding atop a large canvas. Maybe that sounded childish. His friends often said that about him. That could be why his youthful self considered this juvenile painting, a work of art.

Hope's Peak was alive. Tonight, more so than usual.

"Here's to a romantic Valentines Day, everyone!" A familiar face appears on a giant screen, at the largest tower in the city square. The cheerful voice carries far and wide.

So that was it. Today was Valentines Day "Happy Valentines day, Fujisaki."

It wasn't much further along the path that he stumbled onto a peculiar scene. It was a small dog huddled over by the side...and not looking in the best of health.

Naegi knelt in front of the animal. The reception is not so friendly, but he was more concerned over its weak and awkward motions.

He recalled the candy bar from the vending machine he used to get Kirigiri's (spilled) lunch. The memory of it sends him into a momentary depression.

* * *

"S-So you came here?" Fukawa bandages his bitten hand. Her contempt lessened after he explained the situation. She had every right to be mad at his abrupt visit, along with his unreasonable request.

"I couldn't help it. Pets aren't allowed in my apartment, and your place is closer." He said scrubbing the dirt off the dog's coat with his free arm. Fukawa had brought a tub filled with warm water, small enough that it couldn't move too much.

"Y-You should have left it there. What if it has diseases?" Fukawa kept her distance, like he'd already been infected. Judging from how her eyes are glued to his wrapped hand, that's probably what she's thinking. He supposed that persecution complex came naturally to Toko Fukawa, his revered senior by 24 years. He had enough courtesy not to ask for specifics. Naegi had a shaky relationship with Fukawa, to the point that even casual conversation was a hassle. She was crass, pessimistic and blunt (painfully so!), but ultimately a good person. He wanted to be closer to her, partly for his own curiosity and hobbies. Naegi was an avid reader and researcher. Fukawa was the author of one some of his favorite stories. They'd met in one of the few libraries remaining in the city and being a rare twosome in modern society, they clicked instantly.

Okay...more like he might have followed her around and she gave up trying to push him away.

"It's fine. I don't get sick." He shot down her worries.

Fukawa scoffs. "One of the things you should never trust about men is their health. The other is their fidelity."

Okaaay. "Either way. He was probably only outside for a few days."

"You can tell? Right, you're a cop." Fukawa caught herself, then smirked nefariously.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow

"I can't picture you arresting anyone. Stupid children like you are the ones swindled and beat on by con artists." Her seasoned grin widened

He stuck out his tongue at her.

Fukawa rolled her eyes. "A bastion of maturity. So, what'll you do after you've cleaned him up?"

"Take him back to his owners. You can't just abandon pets so easily nowadays." Naegi frowned

*Bark! Bark! *

"Settle down. I'm almost done." Naegi steadied the dog, drying it with a towel.

"A boy and his dog. How quaint." Fukawa said with a repulsed look.

"Correction: A _man_ and _someone else's_ dog." He put on the finishing touches. Then he motioned for the collar around its neck. Naegi pressed down on a thin rectangular panel that glowed a blue. The puppy let out a pained yelp. There was a needle embedded inside the collar that released an anesthetic into the pet's system, causing it to drift asleep.

'Authorization for owner database. Level 4 Clearance Required.' A computerized voice emanated from the holographic display.

Naegi brought out his phone, and pressed down on an app. A disembodied (digital) head floated on the screen.

"Leave it to me, Naegi." The alter ego's voice was identical to that from the display but the tone was incomparably more humanlike. "Done. Will you be needing anything else?"

"No, you've been a great help." The phone was now linked to the records embedded in the collar's databased. The name, address, owner of the golden retriever was relayed on the screen.

"Chuck…and you're from the quartz sectors…geez, talk about a long trip." The location was an impoverished area in the district, for the lower class. They were currently on the Beryl sector. The residents of each layer corresponded to their status.

"I bet they couldn't afford the dog anymore and decided to throw it out. If they bought the thing in the first place, they should have the decency to see it through to the end. People these days have no responsibility or compassion." Fukawa scorned

"_These days_, huh?" Naegi looked at the older woman expectantly.

Fukawa narrowed her eyes. "Go read a history book if you want to learn about the past."

"It's not the same! You were _there, _before the meteor shower. You're a national treasure."

"Are you calling me old?"

He was getting that feeling. The same one with Kirigiri earlier. "N-Not like that!"

She turned away from him. "It's nothing worth praising. I just happened to be among the 10% of the population that survived."

Naegi wasn't dense enough to fail to realize he was heading for a brick wall. "Sorry." In his fervor, he'd acted insensitively.

Fukawa grunted. Naegi followed her out of the bathroom with the dog in his arms. Fukawa sat on her couch, picking up a diary with a hexagonal Morganite attached at the center of the cover "All this fuss for these stones. You can't even live without them." The gemstone Fukawa's fingers lingered on was no ordinary item. At the core of the current society, this crystal and many more like it, were the base of everything. A widely utilized energy source – one that absorbed sunlight and powered everything in the city, performing a variety of functions from the material used to construct buildings, to all-purpose fuel. Reliance was an understatement. Without them, civilization may never have recovered. Certainly not as quickly as it did. Depending on who you asked, the crystals could be called a miracle…or the greatest consolation prize recorded in human history.

"That's how the Gofer project monitors us." Naegi scratched the back of his neck, referencing the system responsible for maintaining the structure of Hope's Peak. A system where the crystals - while reminiscent of older minerals – were inextricably different in their capacity. Something that confounded scientists to this day.

The Morganite Fukawa disparaged wasn't overly special, not by itself. In fact, its purple glisten dimmed as soon as the elderly woman's touch leaves it. The relevant Morganite was _inside her._ A long time ago, the gem was melted down into liquid form and injected in the bloodstream. The procedure was necessary to counter the deadly virus that spread throughout the planet. What the meteors didn't destroy, the virus did. An estimate of 90% Earth's population was wiped out in the span of a year. How the cure was devised remains a tightly-kept secret. A popular theory is that these gems had alien origin and directly related to the meteor impact. To give credit, there presently wasn't an alternative for how some of these minerals could even be melted into liquid form, and injected into the bloodstream without universally disastrous consequence.

At the age of 5, children undergo a compatibility exam to determine what class of gems you belonged to. The crystalline fluid infused in their bodies resonates with crystals of the same type designated by The Gofer project. A roundabout method of proving they belonged to one of the respective classes: Diamond, Corundum, Beryl, Topaz and Quartz.

Fukawa was a Morganite, among the Beryl Class, the 3rd rank. Those belonging to this category stood above the middle-class but weren't quite elite.

"Incidentally. That was the time I've seen a government A.I up close." Fukawa referred to Alter ego. She sounded impressed, but also disdainful. Fukawa didn't care for modern technology, explained by how her home was relatively barren of electronics. Not that Naegi minded; the archaic design had its own charm-

"You weren't supposed to see that!" Naegi spluttered, shielding the phone away.

"Bit late for that idiot. D-Did you forget this was my house?

He scratched his head.

" That aside...you named the A.I? I mean I can see why considering who the creator is, but isn't that a little..."

"It's a long story, but...Fujisaki and I were friends."

Fukawa's eyes widened with disbelief "Really? If you are telling the truth, that is amazing."

"Yeah...anyway, thanks for the help. I'll definitely pay you back one day." He smiled, toothily.

"You'd better." She replied.

* * *

Naegi had been about to hail a cab before his ears caught curses, slurs and metal banging where a vehicle was stationed on the road. If the driver intentionally parked there, he'd be in for a fine, if Naegi was that kind of cop. Fortunately, this didn't seem to be the case, given the hood was up.

A technical malfunction then.

"Everything okay here?" Naegi's head peeked out from the side of the hood.

A man with spiky purple hair and goatee panicked at the sudden intrusion. "Woah, you scared me."

"Sorry, I should have knocked on the hood first." Naegi scratched his cheek.

"It's cool. And I've got it all covered. The engine's being a pain in the ass, but it's nothing this genius can't fix." For a stranded man, he was taking it well.

"If you say so-" Before Naegi could finish, they heard a sound no car should ever make.

A slight chill passed by, making the taller man shudder. Naegi thought to advise him to actually place his other hand _through_ the half-worn jacket, instead of freezing and letting it flap in the wind.

"…wouldn't happen to have triple AAA, would ya?" He asked.

Naegi regretfully didn't. He didn't even own a car to bother registering. "There's an auto-repair shop a ways off here. I could help you push it, if you don't mind."

"You're a life saver. The name's Kaito Momota." Momota dropped the hood, maintaining eye-contact with Naegi as they walked to the back of the car

"Makoto Naegi. I'd need to put this guy in the backseat. That fine with you?"

"That your dog? Cause it doesn't look so hot. He won't puke, will he?"

"He's not mine, so I can't answer that. I was about to return him to the owners."

"You're a regular Samaritan, dude. No problem just lug the little guy in there." Momota gave him a nod of approval.

After Naegi placed chuck inside the car, he returned to the back with Momota, where they placed their hands on the trunk.

"3…2…1...heave-ho!"

That began their lengthy hour of pushing in the middle of the night. Not exactly how Naegi'd planned it, but he couldn't complain. Momota wasn't shy for a conversation, so it wasn't boring.

"You from around here, up top or below?" Momota inquired amidst grunts.

"Yeah, I live on this sector." Though he's getting farther away from home by the second.

Momota whistled. "Still means you're doing pretty well for yourself, third class and all."

"I don't think too much about status and all that. I'm sure there are citizens in the lower classes that could be every bit as competent as I am."

"You really are my kind of guy." His strangely dressed acquaintance barked with laughter.  
I don't care about that elitist shit either…but a lot of people do, ya know?" His tone turned solemn. "I dunno, it's stifling in the city sometimes."

"Don't you like Hope's Peak, Momota-kun?" Naegi wanted to ask the purple-haired man if he was from the lower class. It was presumptuous, so he didn't voice it.

"Nah, I have it too good to hate, but some of my buddies don't and it bugs me listening to stuck up assholes talking shit. Like how your entire life's set by how much your blood is worth." Momota spat and pushed the car more forcefully. "If we're talking about me. I'm higher-ranked than you."

Naegi gave him a surprised look. It had to be the second rank, because the only alternative was…bizarre.

"Stunned, ain't ya? Everyone is at first, until they hear I'm a luminary of the stars!" Momota grinned, confidently. Not that Naegi had any clue what he meant. "But today, I'm just trying to get to my girl's place. Man, she's going to chew me out for being so late." Valentines, I guess. "I'm not keeping you away from a date, am I?"

"Huh? Me? No girlfriend here." Naegi rejected the notion.

"Bullshit. Any sidekick of mine should be swimming with the ladies." Naegi shakes his head, at _both_ those claims. "Bah, they've got no taste."

"I-It's not like that. I'm just not looking for anyone right now." That was the truth…but hearing those words aloud made it sound like a lame excuse.

"That right? Then it's O-kay. Everyone's got their own pace." Momota gave him a thumbs up. "But if you don't care about chicks, that means your mind's gotta be somewhere else, right? You got any dreams or goals?" You can't survive without clinging to something.

The car bumped on frozen snow. Naegi thought about the question for a moment. "You seem like a really inspiring guy, Momota-kun…however, you might be looking in the wrong place if you expect anything great out of me."

"You kiddin'? I've got an eye for potential and I say you've got it in spades, Naegi. Work up that confidence!"

The shorter man blushed at the praise. If Momota was going to have that much faith in him, then he hoped his answer wouldn't disappoint. "I…recently graduated college, so I'm mostly working to pay off my loans." As Naegi would readily admit, he was just another cog in the proverbial machine. Save the black suit, he was the kind of guy you could find anywhere just by looking across the street; he had mediocre tastes, mediocre grades and an overall mediocre appearance. It was no small wonder how a person with his countenance ended up in the Beryl-class.

"Work? Where?"

"Oh, I didn't say? I'm a detective."

Momota stopped pushing, choosing instead to wrap an arm around Naegi's as he howled with laughter. "That's fucking awesome! I knew I had a good eye." He was boasting all along.

Naegi pushes against his glasses. "I'm still just a rookie and I mostly got hired because the chief is a friend of mine. The guys down at the police force always make fun of me and say I should think about going into social services, since I…baby the suspects." He mutters the last bit lowly.

"What do those idiots know? I bet there's at least one guy who knows you're fit for the job." Momota pounded his fists together.

"There is. Togami and Kirigiri…uh, Togami's my boss and Kirigiri's my partner." Despite his many shortcomings, Kirigiri and Togami believed he had talent; he offered insight and perspective in cases that they deemed invaluable…and his track record spoke for itself. If Naegi could speak honestly, he would call this abnormality one of three that were above the average person's. "Togami calls us his best pair, but I think Kirigiri deserves that honor more than me."

"This Togami guy's your boss, that means he knows what he's talking about. He said best _pair_. Not Kirigiri and one extra, right?"

"That's…technically true." There's no harm in accepting the compliment. "Thanks, Momota-kun."

"You're welcome. Huh, thought I'd have to go a few more rounds before you'd get it. I guess Shuichi's in a league of his own with total lack of confidence." Momota scratched his hair."

"Momota-kun…we should probably get back to pushing the car. Don't you have an appointment?"

"Oh crap!"

* * *

"You really did a number of this thing." The shark-toothed mechanic diagnosed. "I might not be able to fix it, but I'll take a look."

"I'm counting on you." Momota said.

"How's it look?" Naegi inquired. He'd waited outside for Momota to speak with the mechanic.

"Not good." He frowned.

"Maybe I should help." Naegi suggested.

"It couldn't hurt." Momota shrugged. After a few minutes of waiting, the two re-entered the workshop to see a frustrated mechanic. "Any luck, Souda?" Momota called out.

"Nothing. You might need to get the engine replaced."

"Just great. Well, give it a try, Naegi. You're my last hope." Kaito begged.

"No pressure." The detective shrugged.

"No offense, but you have any idea what you're doing?" Souda asked, worried.

"It…won't hurt me or anything, right?"

"The core's pretty much dead, so there's no chance of that. It might have been salvageable if the sun was still out, but there's no solar rays for it to take in."

Just bad timing.

"I'll give it a shot…Souda-san, could you get me that wrench at the far back?"

"Huh? What'll you do with that?" Souda's brow arched far at the request. "Don't tell me you think smacking the engine will work."

"Maybe. It's not like we have anything to lose." Naegi chirped.

"I'm praying for ya." Momota quite literally clapped his hands in prayer, closing his eyes all the while.

Souda blinked a few more times, before shaking his head. "Suit yourself." He walked to the shelf, muttering "amateurs" under his breath.

Naegi quickly glanced at Momota, the prideful male still in the same position as before.

His vision focused on the engine, or precisely, the solid crystal seated at the core. Oil and gas were resources of the past. Much like everything else in this city, these gemstones were at the base of all technology, fuel or batteries were hardly exceptions. "I hope it's not hot." He touched the stone with his bare hands.

"Here's the wrench." Souda apathetically handed over the item.

"Thanks. Here goes nothing." Naegi slammed the engine

The mechanic facepalmed. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Momota-kun, try and see if it worked." Naegi called out.

"Finished already?" The spiky-haired man opened his eyes. He hastily drew out his keys and tapped down on the remote start button. "Come ooon."

No sooner than Momota pleaded, the crystal shined brightly, and the roar of a healthy engine followed.

"YES!" The self-proclaimed luminary of the stars hopped into the air; arms spread out.

"No freakin' way." Souda made a very interesting face.

"Just dumb luck, I guess." Naegi said bashfully.

"Don't care. I can _finally_ get a move on." Momota slapped Naegi on the back. "That's my sidekick."

"Sidekick?" That again.

"You betcha. My sidekicks are all destined for greatness. You're number 3 by the way."

…At least he was cheerful. Infectiously so.

"You don't need to thank me. Helping people out is my job."

"Now that ain't gonna fly. Kaito Momota does _not_ leave debts unsettled."

"In that case, you can pay me back later." Not that Naegi expected him to.

"Good idea. Give me your number."

"Oh…you're really going through with it." Most people just took that as a rain check or a superficial promise. He underestimated Momota's candor.

"For now, I can drive you around." Momota suggested after they'd traded phone numbers. They'd pushed the car in a complete opposite direction from the route to his apartment.

"Wouldn't want to keep your girlfriend waiting."

"Ha! Knowing Maki, she'll rip a new one even if I show up the next second. Won't matter if it's another hour or so." Momota picked his ear. "Besides. If I told her I was helping a buddy, she might be lenient, and it wouldn't even be a lie."

"If it helps…sure." Naegi chuckled.

There were some people you couldn't win arguments against. Against those types, the best option is to meet them half-way and compromise.

* * *

"Momota-kun, I never asked. What do you do for a living?" Naegi asked, his hands stroking the dog's fur, while his partner drove.

"Hmm, I already said it. I'm a luminary of the stars." The braggart drank from a can of coffee (or _Naegi_ hoped it was coffee!), keeping the other hand on the wheel.

"What does that mean?"

He grinned. "It means that I'm _an astronaut_."

"Y-You've been to space?" Ever since the meteor shower, searching the outer reaches of space became an even more important endeavour than ever before. But very few could do it, and even fewer had the courage to fly to outer space.

"I've been training. My maiden voyage's in a bit."

"…Incredible." It really was awe-inspiring. "Why'd you choose space?"

Naegi yelped as the car came to a screeching halt. "What're you doing?" He yelled at the other man.

"Let's step outside for a bit. I want to show you something." Momota took on a serious tone as he undid his seatbelt and opened the door. Naegi followed, leaving Chuck in the seat.

"Take a look up there. What do you see?" When Naegi stepped out of the car, Momota pointed at the distant, starry sky. Gone were the years when the poisonous clouds polluted the air.

"Stars." Naegi skillfully deduced as he joined the romanticist's side.

"30 years ago, we got blindsided from space. NASA and astrologists everywhere. None of them saw the meteors coming in time. How do you figure that happened?"

"The asteroids changed course too quickly and there was nothing that could've been done when we realized they were on a crash course for Earth." That was the explanation written in the history books.

"That's just an excuse. The reason is that we didn't have the sense to care about space. We're just one tiny planet in a universe y'know? Shit had to blow up sometime and when it did, we were caught with our pants down!" He crushed the empty can in his hands.

"I'm not sure if that's fair criticism. Technology was limited too."

"And who told you that?" Momota crossed his arms.

"It's common knowledge."

"Yeah, knowledge fed to us by who-the-hell-knows, and we have to eat it up." The astronaut sighed deeply. "I said before that this city's stifling and I meant it. Like a ceiling was already put right above my head from the day I was born. You ever felt that way?"

Naegi pondered the question for a moment. "Can't say I have." Was his earnest reply. He never thought about the future, in fear that he'd lose sight of the present. "I don't really look up at the ceiling. There are enough people on the ground that need my attention."

"…Heh, good answer. I respect that, but me? I'm different. I'm not the kind of guy that gets banged up over protecting others or saving the world. Instead I'd rather be the guy who leads by action and gets other to fight for themselves. Look." The astronaut's cocky smirk earned a look of suspicion. Naegi pulled on the side of the jacket, scanning the galaxy-themed design in the interior. Huh, a design that unique should have been a giveaway to Momota's preferences. He'd have been a lot less shocked about his occupation, had he noticed earlier. Kirigiri absolutely would have…!

"Huh?" Naegi froze as sparkles of light reflected off the coat, from a single touch from Momota. It hadn't been easy to spot before thanks to the dark, but with the car lights on…he saw "…Diamonds?" Naegi whispered in disbelief. The minerals were incredibly small and spread apart, as if emulating stars mapped on the galaxy-styled coat.

"You got it. I'm first-class all the way." Momota boasted…and what a boast it was. The diamond-class were among society's most exceptional 1%. Such a small number that, unless they were already famous, you could go their entire lives without ever crossing paths.

That probably made him an abnormal case for having known 2 previously. 3, now.

"Don't get it twisted. It wouldn't matter even if I was the lowest class, I'd still be fucking great. Cuz what matters is in here." He jerked at his heart. "A man needs guts if he wants to make something of himself." Surely, Kaito Momota's got plenty. "But you know, a lot of people say I'm wrong. Just because I'm diamond, I was _born_ to be great. Hell, I didn't even get the choice during the compatibility exam, just having above 50% affinity for the class means you're _forced_ to take it. I could have died and never known who came up with that dogshit rule."

Naegi didn't either. The diamond class was exceptionally rare, yet invaluable to society's progress. It was already decided that any child with a remotely high rate of compatibility would be selected for that class…despite the fatalities.

That Momota was here right now could be likened to a miracle. "But Momota-kun. Wouldn't you just be following the mold if you did go to space? Not many people have the credentials for it."

"You have a point and I'm not going to be ungrateful and say life isn't great for me or nothing…but I don't want to follow the rules set by some bastard I've never even met for the rest of my life." Momota scratched his hair. "I want the freedom to choose to be great, and space is free-game, nobody owns the rights. I ain't just talking about going to the moon or anything. I'll go way farther and come back safe and sound with the goods. It won't be some nameless chump who writes the book on space-travel, but me, Kaito Momota. The rest of you can follow after _my_ trails of success."

Egoistic to the core…but not without his charm.

Naegi smiles." Momota-kun, you could have just said you want to be famous." Figures once known as celebrities or even some that made history were scattered into obscurity and forgotten with the passing of time. In many ways, humanity was born anew…it was natural the ambitious would want to become the pioneers of the new history.

Also… "_This was no reason to stop the car and make us stand in the cold._" Naegi said, watching Momota shake like a leaf.

"And miss my chance to sound cool. No thank you." Momota rushed back into the car. Naegi followed. "But you might be right. I don't want to be just another diamond. I wanna be the biggest name, just like Chihiro Fujisaki."

"Good luck. You've got more than enough confidence to make your dream come true."

"You know it…so, where's this place we're headed specifically?"

"I'll forward the instructions."

"Great. Maybe I'll know a few shortcuts."

No problem? It would still be quite the journey…unless. "You…don't even want to see your girlfriend anymore, huh."

"You're good at that detective stuff." Momota didn't even try to deny it. "Let's just say that Maki's got a pretty mean temper and…well, I get to live a bit longer the more I put it off."

"Couldn't you have just called her?"

"Great idea. You speak to her in my place, buddy."

"…No, forget I said anything."

"Come on, you're super-easy to talk to. I bet Maki won't even be all that mad…I promise."

Naegi wasn't naïve enough to believe a promise that empty. "I've had enough life-threatening experiences today.


	4. The Abyss Glances

Naegi knocked on the Utsugi household's door.

"Who is it?" The door creaked open, revealing a large, middle-aged man peeking from inside.

"I'm Makoto Naegi. I believe this dog is yours?" Naegi held out the golden retriever, who nearly spilled out of his grip

Naegi credits the man for his nigh inaudible grasp and quick recovery. "Never seen the mutt before."

Just as Utsugi motioned to close the door, Naegi placed his foot in the opening.

"It's against the law to lie to a detective. And abandoning pets has been a punishable offence for quite some time now." Naegi said all this with an inoffensive smile, almost contradicting the weight that came with showing off his badge.

Utsugi opened the door fully now. Without the obstruction, Naegi was able to take a good look at the owner's unkempt appearance.

The sight elicited a deep sadness.

"My apologies…officer. But…"

"Dad. Has Chuck come back yet?" A child's voice interrupted their budding conversation. Utsugi immediately shut the door. But from how close Naegi was, the father-daughter conversation was still very audible

"Haven't found him yet, now go back to sleep. I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later."

The door reopened a few minutes later. Naegi assumed Utsugi had gone to put his daughter to sleep. The look he gave the young detective when he returned was of self-scorn. Regardless, Naegi gave him the dog.

He rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at Chuck with reluctant acceptance. "You see…Naegi-san- "

"I like dogs." Naegi cut off the perplexed man. "Me and the guys back at the station do. We've been short on attack dogs and good ones aren't all too easy to come by…" He emphasized his wounded hand.

The older man scrunched his face for a few moments, then he caught on.

"Ha…haha." He laughed. "Chuck here's got all the potential you need. All he does is jump on whatever poor sucker gets in his sights. If you need a dog, I'll hand him over free-of-charge."

"That'd be a great help." Naegi took the retriever back into his arms in an official trade-off.

"Officer." Utsugi called. "Not my place to say but…he eats three meals day. He likes long walks and can't stand being alone for more than 4 hours. He's also not too comfortable with strangers. I'm sure you know that."

"I'll keep it in mind." He nods and departed the premises. Chuck struggled in his grasp all the while, but Naegi refused to unhand him. Mainly because the detective was sure he'd run back home.

Sadly, that wasn't home anymore.

Chuck stopped struggling eventually, finding comfort in Naegi's embrace. Fearing the dog might catch a cold, Naegi foisted the critter into his tuxedo, and allowed its head to peek out.

"What happened?" Momota asked

"I thought about it and…I decided the little guy living there would cause more problems than it'd fix. Sorry for making you drive all the way out here."

"I don't really mind, but what'll you do with him?"

"If I can't find him a new home, then I'll take him in myself." He'd have to avoid Yukizome though…

"Mind if I take a little nap on the way?" Naegi's eyes were starting to close.

"Uh sure. I'll wake you when I need directions."

* * *

"Don't be a stranger and give me a call sometime!" Momota yelled.

"I will." Naegi waved goodbye as his new acquaintance drove off into the distance. He covered his mouth with a yawn. He left the station early but still managed to be later than ever. Typical.

"At least it was eventful." With dog in one arm, he takes off his glasses with the other. The lenses fogged up with the cold winds. His thumb glides over the small, rectangular glass as the door to his apartment building slid open.

Naegi raised an eyebrow. Out came a woman dressed inappropriately for the weather. She had white hair—no, bleach blonde fit better, considering the modicum of clothing she wore was designated beach wear. A white bikini underneath a yellow coat was all that covered tanned flesh.

She wasn't a tenant, he'd kept a watchful enough eye on the other resident that he'd have remembered someone with that distinct appearance.

White sandals plant tread on the fresh snow.

They make eye contact.

It's too late to look away.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" She addresses him.

"It is, and you know what they say about Valentine's." Naegi joked.

"'Love is in the air'." She follows up flawlessly. "I think it's silly to make a parade of it. We should love strangers, neighbours, friends and families every day."

"I don't disagree, but you're thinking of another kind of love." Naegi said.

"Culture differences, then." She replies dismissively.

"Oh, you're not from around here?"

"That's right. I'm new to this snowy town."

"That makes sense." He watches her head tilt. "To be honest, I thought you were dressed lightly. Summer isn't for a few months." He explained.

She studied him. Then laughed. It was so abrupt, it took him off-guard. "You…are unexpectedly serious." She giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"When you're laughing _that_ much, I'd think I was more of a comedian…" He said dryly.

"No, I was laughing at myself. You see, it's not everyday I make mistakes. I wish someone had warned me it would be so cold!" She's awfully upbeat for having made a glaring error. It made her initial impressions look subdued. "You wouldn't have a spare coat lying around, would you?"

"I might have a few jackets." They weren't far apart in size. His clothes might fit her.

"Simply divine." Her smile widens. "But sorry, that was a joke. It'd speak badly of me if I borrowed from a man I just met. But if it was an offering…"

"Offering?"

"Don't worry about it. That'd be backwards." She waved her hand flippantly. "Besides, I'm not cold at all~" She singsongs.

That's was a hard sell, but…going by her confidence combined with how she'd conversed outside without as much as a shudder, she made it believable. "Well then, see you around, Mr. Serious." The playful woman passed him by.

He snuck a glance at her retreating back, for a moment. Then walked into his apartment building.

Now he just needed to sneak in and avo- Oh crap.

"Good evening, Naegi-kun~" said an orange-haired acquaintance awaiting, arms folded intimidatingly.

"Y-You too, Yukizome-san." He shifts nervously in front of the landlady standing in front of the elevators like a stone guardian.

"Aren't you just a little _too_ late?" Chisa Yukizome oozed a foreboding aura. Naegi lent a helping hand to Yukizome in his senior high school year. To return the favor, the self-styled maid had taken it upon herself to act as Naegi's guardian once he'd finished school, despite his protests. There were just some people that couldn't be argued with. "What's with the dog? We don't allow pets here."

"I found him on the streets. Thought I'd keep him for the night and hand him over to the chief tomorrow."

Yukizome made a contemplative gesture. "A stray? But he's wearing a collar, who'd be stupid enough to abandon it?"

"Not stupid. _Desperate_."

"Geez…I can take a guess at what happened. Alright, you can keep it for the night, as long as he stays out of everyone else's sights, got it?"

Naegi nodded happily.

Yukizome ruffled his hair. "You're so precious. If someone doesn't take you up soon, I just might have to."

Naegi blushed "I'm only 23…" And wasn't looking for any sort of intimate relationship.

"Exactly! That's the prime age for hot, adult romance and marriage. Bag someone before it's too late." Yukizome projected, occupied by her own fantasies.

"But…Yukizome-san, you're even old-**er than me and still single**." The bolded is what Naegi would have said…until his life flashed before his eyes. His mind diverted all its resources into transmitting a single, life-saving message through time.

_'Code red: Back up, Makoto!'_

"What was that?" She stretched out the vowels in a sickly-sweet voice.

"N-Nothing. I-I was just wondering how everything's going with Munakata-san." He said, hurriedly.

The raw sadistic aura Yukizome emanated, melted into depression.

Oh right…Valentine's day…and he's not here. Nice going, me. "Was he…busy?"

"_So, he says_, but when is he _never_ busy? Just because he worked his way up to Director doesn't mean he has to spend every minute of the day working."

"Well, I mean. Munakata's in charge of this division." Hope's Peak functioned under the leadership of an oligarchy called the Future Foundation, with a single director corresponding to the 14 respective divisions that comprised the city. All candidates for the position were first-class citizens on the uppermost layer of Hope's Peak and Munakata - newly instated as District 14's director – was one such man.

Yukizome heaved a dramatic sigh, before her lips twitched into a smile. "I know, I'm just venting. I supported him the whole way, and I knew it'd end up like this."

"T-That's no reason to give up- "

"Who said anything about giving up!?" Yukizome looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "It might look like I'm complaining now but love conquers all barriers! And I'll tear down any walls that get in my way, even his security if that's what it takes to reach Kyosuke!" She yelled, conspiring against law enforcement right in front of the young detective.

"R-Right, I don't know what I was thinking…"

"Wait, isn't Juzo part of Kyosuke's security? Would that mean I'd have to kick his butt too?" Yukizome deliberated with herself while Naegi slipped away.

"Love does strange things to people." He muttered, not knowing whether Munakata was lucky or unlucky. But Naegi didn't feel like being in his shoes.

…

'That was three life-threatening incidences in one day.' Naegi thought as he walked up the stairs to his apartment room.

Maybe Kirigiri was right about his recklessness.

_I'm beat. Thank goodness the day's over. _

His footsteps halt upon entering the corridor. His crossed paths a trendily dressed woman. Her hair was dyed an unusual hue. Not quite pink, but not blond either.

_…It just won't end, will it?_

"Hey there, Naegi~" Junko Enoshima greeted him with a mischievous smile, her arms locked around a man he didn't recognize. Using his expert detective analysis and keen eyes of observation. He surmised they were going out on a date.

_Me and my big mouth – _His regret came from the fact that he'd met Enoshima at an awkward time and, his neighbour found some twisted glee in making him uncomfortable whenever possible. With her widening grin, he's sure this time will be like all the others.

"He's cute. Your Valentine's date?" Enoshima points to the dog.

Naegi returned her mockery with a plastered smile. "I found him on the side walk so I decided to take care of him."

"Oh my gosh, you're sweeter than a cinnamon roll. If I ever pumped out a kid and put them up for adoption, I'd totally want you to be the father."

Naegi dropped the pretenses after the crude joke.

"Wow, killer glare. Come on. how about hooking up with us? It'll be fun." Enoshima tugged the arm of the man besides her. The black-haired male looked about as annoyed as Naegi did.

A joke at his expense, _clearly_.

"I'll take a rain-check. I can't be the second bit late for work or my partner will bite my head off." Adding onto that, he was beat. A night out with Enoshima was the very last thing he needed or wanted.

Enoshima pouted. "Boring! But I get you. Good night, Naegi." They passed each other.

"She's always messing with me." He muttered. Naegi didn't know much about his next-door neighbour, save that she lived on the wild side of life.

Making sure there was nobody else in the hallway, Naegi proceeded to shimmy the door handle until it clicked open. His apartment door didn't need a key, nor did he use one. Instead, there was a trick to opening the door that only he, Yukizome and Sayaka knew about. You needed to turn the knob, then lift on the door and pull.

The apartment's interior reflected his own nature; there was nothing special or jaw-dropping inside that could pass for an attraction. At most, what stood out was a shelf filled to the brim with history books.

…

He stepped out of the shower, approaching a small picture frame stationed on his desk. Inside it was a worn-out photo dear to the detective. It was taken long ago when he was barely 4 years old and surrounded by his family; one little sister and two loving parents.

He put the frame down, side by side with his removed glasses. Next, he found Chuck lying asleep on his bed. "When did you climb up there?" Naegi's question was answered with a low whine.

"Looks like you're even more tired than I am." Expected given the poor state he found the animal in…along with the fact he'd sedated it. Naegi slipped into the bed.

"Good night."

* * *

"For the next week, you are to follow my directions to the letter, is that understood."

"Yes, Kirigiri-san." *arf*

"If I tell you to be quiet around suspects, you'll zip it."

"Yes, Kirigiri-san." *arf*

"If I tell you not to interfere with my work, you _will_ maintain at least a 5-meter distance from me."

"Yes, Kirigiri-san." *arf*

"And when I tell you to get on your knees and massage my feet, you'll do it without question."

"Yes, Kirigiri-run that one by me again!" *arf!*

"So close." Kirigiri feigned disappointment.

Naegi scratched the back of his head. She was in a good mood if she was just teasing. "I almost thought you were still mad about yesterday and wanted to get rid of me-"

"Now why would I _ever_ want to do that?" He could almost hear her teething grinding against each other.

"…I'll be quiet."

* * *

"Let's get straight down to business." Three files laid on Togami's desk. "I'd prefer to have forwarded this to you the _normal_ way but since Kirigiri happens to be stuck in the stone ages."

It wasn't that long ago, Togami-kun – Naegi wanted to say.

*bark*

"…Stop your whining. What have you got for us?" Kirigiri asked.

"Three independent cases. The first is a report of a victim in the Beryl sector. A doctor at a major general hospital was found dead last night."

"You've confirmed the cause?" Kirigiri looked over the file. Naegi peered at the folder from behind.

"Most likely poison, but it's a different strain than we've ever encountered. We can't even _confirm_ the poison, there was just a foreign substance in the victim's body that faded not long after he was found and came to that conclusion."

"No point going to the morgue then." Naegi _hated_ the morgue and would accept any reason not to go. Kirigiri, recognizing his phobia in all her benevolence, would obviously not stand for it. "We're going whether you like it or not."

*bark*

"Any suspects?"

"None so far. We'll have you two investigate the hospital later."

"Later date? This is a low priority case?" Kirigiri raised her brow.

*bark*

Togami nodded, reaching for the second file "I'm leaving our most recent serial murder case to you, Kirigiri. Others might join you at any point if it goes haywire."

"This is awful." Naegi looked through the photos. Men were murdered and then crucified in plain sight.

"The victims are all male? Any chance we've got a female lead?"

"Don't be a bigot, Kirigiri. Guys can hate their own gender enough to kill too. In fact, if they were Naegi, I'd be the first to advocate genocide." Togami said.

"Real funny." Naegi remarked, sarcastically. "Any patterns to his crimes, _before_ they happen?"

"Nothing worthwhile in here. There are too few headcounts to pin down the killer's patterns." Kirigiri replied.

"You'll have to think of something, before the media gets on my ass." Togami crossed his fingers.

"And the last?" Kirigiri asked.

*arf*

Togami's tone suddenly changed into a wary one. "Here."

Kirigiri and Naegi read through it. "Um…Togami? There are two subjects here. Isn't this a single file?"

"It is. Or rather I believe so." Togami said grimly. "There have been some…recent disappearances. The number of missing persons is small for now, but not enough to escape my notice. And they're all happening in the lower-class areas."

"I get that. How do they relate to um…"

"A cult from the sounds of it." Kirigiri filled in.

"Yes. And I've heard of a few similar cases outside Hope's Peak. It's possible they have ties and branches in the outskirts of the city."

A pin could be heard falling in the room with how quite it had gotten upon Togami's declaration.

"Outside the city? I find that hard to believe." Kirigiri's doubt was warranted. Religions weren't easily formed anymore and connections from outside the city were unbelievably rare. Hope's Peak was a nation onto itself, with small ties to the outside world. How could a cult have caught on from abroad?

Togami crossed his fingers. "We don't know anything about them besides their name, but they emerged around the time of the disappearances."

"And you've got a hunch they're linked…hence the mixed dossier." Naegi finished.

Togami nodded. "The serial murder should be top priority, but I want you both to give some serious thought to this sect. Overlook a few cockroaches in your home, and you're in for an infestation. I'd appreciate if you could gather information. "

*bark*

"We could get Owada to help. His bar fishes a ton of news." Naegi said, happily. It was an excuse to see an old friend…not that he needed one.

"Rejected. Any other ideas?"

Naegi blinked. "Why?"

"Civvies have no place in police business."

"What the-…you still don't get along huh?"

"Be quiet."

They fight like cats and dogs… speaking of which

*Bark*

"Naegi…what the _hell_ is that?" The dam finally broke loose.

"You should have just kept ignoring it." Kirigiri sighed, at last acknowledging the dog that trailed behind Naegi for the past several minutes.

"Chuck." Naegi smiled innocently. He referred. to the puppy who'd been circling around them the whole time. Now the golden retriever had settled besides Kirigiri's leg. Miss. Lilac shifted away.

"Fantastic. Now why is it _here_?" Kirigiri wasn't one for close contact and dogs were naturally…touchy.

Naegi was sure after he explained the circumstances, Togami would understand and accept.

"I refuse." Togami refused.

Time for Plan B "_Please_. Look at him, he'd be the best police dog ever." Naegi held the scruffy animal in the chief's face.

"Raising dogs is a serious responsibility."

"I know that. I'll even help!"

"With _your_ help, the mutt would work harder fetching our suspects sandwiches than _catching_ them."

Naegi recoiled.

Togami exhaled "However, in light of your recent stellar performances…I can accept this small request."

"You're the best, Togami-kun!" Naegi beamed. Mimicking his temporary owner's gratitude, Chuck slipped out of Naegi's grasp and jumped onto Togami.

"What the…get off." Togami grabbed the dog by its small waist and held it away from his chest.

"Sorry about that. I'll need to work on the disciplining part." Naegi said.

"Discipline? Who are you kidding? If it hadn't jumped me, _you_ would have. I'd happily take the lesser of two evils."

"Guilty as charged." Naegi blushed.

Togami sighed loudly and exaggeratedly. He looked to his PC and said. "Alter ego. Scan the collar and find me a bio on the previous owners."

"Just a minute." The robotic voice said.

"…He belonged to the Utsugi family. The wife was placed is due for cold sleep at a medical ward. Pity, but cases like these still pop up and there's no treatment for M0."

Naegi winced. "These accidents shouldn't happen."

"Really? I think she hit the jackpot." Togami reached inside his pocket and pulled out a wallet attached to his trousers by a chain. A blue sapphire was pinned in the middle; a mark of high status. "You know the story. Humanity was pushed to the brink; no known medicine could fight off the airborne sickness until The Gopher project. However, some couldn't acclimate to the crystals." The transfusion of crystal-fluid into the bloodstream wasn't without risks.

The nature of the five classes of gemstones was a hierarchy, for many reasons. The first and earliest to be discovered was synergy.

At a young age, children undergo blood or DNA testing to discern affinity for each class. Quartz, the lowest class, reacts to the entire population. The further up the ladder you went, the more selective and skewed the rates became. If the subject qualifies for the upper ranks, they would also be receptive to the lower ranks. An extraordinary individual like Momota, could have qualified for every rank, but Naegi couldn't go higher than Beryl.

This synergy was later found to extend to blood ties. Marriage between different classes were disadvantageous, both for the spouse with higher status crystals, and the child, who could inherit lower ones.

In any case, that was the gateway exam. Whether you survived the surgery was up to chance on how well the body adapts. Once you reached the diamond class, the success rate was abysmally low. Even if the procedure was successful, synchronization levels can drop, days, weeks, months or years after with no warning, resulting in death. Death in this context wasn't just sudden illness. Instead, people of all kinds and ages would succumb to violent, destructive impulses. Eventually, they commit suicide.

That is The Mercury Virus or Mercury Zero (M0) – denoting the point where synergy between the body and the crystals destabilizes and falls to 0%.

What determined compatibility? Why did the crystals behave so selectively towards the same species? Beyond genetics, nobody knew. And with insufficient information, victims were cryogenically frozen until a cure was devised. **If** a cure was devised.

"I can see why they would abandon the dog. Records show the husband's earnings weren't stable enough to live in the Topaz sector, so they were forced to move." Togami said.

Naegi coughed. "Um, Togami-kun? They didn't abandon Chuck. I _bought_ him."

"Of course, I shouldn't doubt that the poor bastard who's begging for a promotion to pay off astonishing loans, would go out of his way to purchase a canine." Togami's eyes rolled skyward.

"Why do you know about my loans?"

"Keeping tabs on employees is my job." Togami donned a snide smirk. One wiped away by the golden retriever's tongue, both figuratively and literally.

"I think he likes you." Naegi smirked, ignoring his friend's killer glare. "…hey, Kirigiri-san, you want to pet him?"

Kirigiri takes a brief look at him. "It bit your hand."

"Oh…well, it won't happen again. He got a lot friendlier afterwards."

"I won't take my chances."


	5. Brotherhood

It was Friday night.

That meant drinks, relaxing, and the company of a friend, Mondo Owada. He owned a lucrative bar in the quartz sector. It was far from home, but it was worth it.

That said…He was _not_ happy to see a scuffle between two (moderately inebriated) men the moment he walked in.

"Now then, what do you have to say to each other?" He clapped his hands together.

"Tch." Both men clicked their tongues, turning away.

"Guys…" Naegi grew out the syllable.

"My bad."

"Yeah…mine too."

"Now shake." Naegi said. The drunkards shook their heads and went opposite ways.

"Too much to ask?" The brown-haired man shrugged, then dropped by the counter.

"Thanks for the hand, Naegi. Those boys would have gone bananas if you hadn't dropped in at the right time." Mondo Owada had short-brown hair, and was one year older. They'd known each other since elementary school. Naegi met new friends, however he either parted with some or, like Togami, reunited with later. Owada on the other hand, was Naegi's oldest and closest friend.

"Yeah, lucky me." Naegi droned. "And don't you mean _you'd_ have gone bananas?"

Owada flips him the middle finger.

Naegi refrains from teasing the muscular man, once renowned for excessive violence, lest old habits get turned on him.

"Today's on the house."

Naegi squinted. "Is that supposed to be a reward? But I don't think you've ever made me pay before."

"Should I start then?" The ex-delinquent cracked a grin at the smaller man's profuse headshaking. "Just my thanks to an officer who actually cares to do their job properly, without making a mess."

"I'm only doing my part." Naegi watched the beer froth.

"Ain't complaining there. Now, I'd be happy if you didn't go brainwashing _me_ with that pacifist crap." He joked. They brought out the best of each other, one could say.

From there, Naegi got down to business. Presenting his friend with an abridged of the cult related case along with the disappearances.

"They're called Atua's Apostles. Have you heard anything?" Naegi asked.

Owada rubbed his chin. "I think so. About as far as a few months back. Nothing you'd find useful."

"That long…" It lines up with the briefing. "Okay, could you keep me updated?"

"Don't see why not…but ya even allowed to tell me about work?"

Naegi smiled nervously. "I trust you…just don't tell Togami."

"I _still_ can't believe you're _working_ for that asshole." Owada said bewildered. "But trust huh? Weird thing to say to a guy you've known over a decade but still call by a surname."

"It's not like that." Naegi raised his hands placatively.

"I'm yanking your chain." Owada laughed.

The younger male slouched back into his seat, looking down at his glass

"Hey, Makoto…you heard about those serial murders?"

"I'm actually on that case." Kirigiri was, technically. But where she went, so did he.

Owada tenses. "If something happens, I'm punching Byakuya's lights out." When it came to the police chief, his personality reverted to his teenage years.

"No fighting."

"This is one point I ain't budging from. I never approved of you getting into police work."

"Not this again." Naegi groaned. "I can take care of myself. Always have."

"You mean _Sayaka _took care of you." Owada cast him an unimpressed look. "What's she been up to these days?"

The change in topic was welcome. "She called me a while back saying she might drop by sometime in June."

"Still at that fancy college?"

Naegi nodded.

"Glad I'm not in her shoes. Can you imagine still having to attend classes?"

"It can't be helped. She was scouted for a director's position." Not like it was any easier for him to imagine what that responsibility was like, but it had to take a lot of education and skill.

"To think that scary chick might be one of those bigwigs running the country. Those diamond class are something else. They get so many perks, even get to travel. I always wanted to see the outside of this place." Owada said.

"If you want to sight-see, there's a whole lot even inside the city. Go to another district."

"It's not the same, ya know? Like, I wanna see what's outside for once." Owada scratched his head. "Not like I've got the time for adventuring though. With the family, job and all."

Naegi shared the sentiment however, outside the outskirts of the city...was mostly uncharted territory. Most of Hope's Peak's resources went into rebuilding. It was only recently that it re-established relations with the outside world. The borders were _officially_ open…but the price you'd need to pay to get in? They might as well have been locked shut.

"You could have become a cop if you wanted. You're more than qualified." Owada was an Imperial Topaz, the greatest variation of the fourth rank and had quality equivalent to the Beryl-class. That's the only reason they were able to attend the same school.

"I prefer it here. There's just somethings you can do when you don't have to worry about the law grabbing you by the balls."

"I _so_ didn't hear that."

"I trust you won't rat me out."

Both men laughed. Their moment of peace disturbed when Naegi felt a pair of hands slither down his neck and wrap around him. "Look what I found ~." A sickeningly sweet voice whispered. Naegi recognized it anywhere.

"Enoshima? What are you doing here?" He grimaced, saying nothing of her chest pressing against the back of his head. She'd caught him off-guard again.

"Having fun. What else?" A woman who wouldn't fail to pass for a model sat beside Naegi.

"You again, huh?" Owada addressed the blonde with a tired frown. "Thought you'd be out for a week with how much you drank last night."

"You know each other?" Naegi blinked

"Enoshima drops bye every now and then. Also has a habit of downing a tenth of my stock before I tell her to stop and go home."

Naegi looks around the bar, then settled on the sole blonde. "What happened to your date?"

"I dumped that poser." She puffed her cheeks, then glared at him. "Maybe it wouldn't have been the worst valentines' day _ever, _if you had come along like I asked."

"If you thought I'd say yes to that invitation, you're crazy." He faced forward and prompted a refill from Owada. Just recalling that awkward exchange from the previous night was enough.

Owada's purple irises shift between the two. A smirk finds its way to his gruff features. "I almost forget how cold you can be, Naegi."

"She's only a new neighbour." Naegi had an unsettling feeling that he knew where this conversation was going.

"Isn't he awful?" Enoshima whined dramatically. Naegi could already grab a handle on her whimsical personality and preference for theatrics.

"Don't beat yourself up, Enoshima. There's a whole list where you're coming from. Naegi here's been breaking hearts since high school. He's nice to anyone but ended up rejecting everyone who had the guts to ask him out." Owada explained.

Enoshima gasped. "…Don't tell me he's gay. That's like, twice as much work for me!"

The alcohol in front of the young detective looked so much more inviting.

"I don't have a clue. Why don't we ask him?"

Naegi chugged down his glass in one gulp. Anything to distance himself from this discussion.

It's a shame neither of them could take a hint.

"Oh well. I like a challenge." Enoshima shifted closer.

"Tell you what. You manage to do the impossible and one night will be on the house." Owada was gambling…right in front of him…

"Have you forgotten I'm here?" Naegi asked…only to be ignored.

Being perfectly fair, he ignored them first.

"Deal. Now hit me." Enoshima raised a pitcher into the air.

…

"I think you've had enough." Naegi said an hour later. Owada hadn't been exaggerating about Enoshima's drinking habits.

"I'd hafta agree."

She slurred unintelligibly in response. Naegi'd been too transfixed by how much she'd taken in that he failed to stop her in time. If anything, he strangely felt like cheering her on to see at what point she'd drop.

"I'll…get her home."

"Want me to call a taxi?"

"I've got it." Naegi whipped out his cell

"Good evening, Naegi." Said the electronic voice

"Yo, Fujisaki." Owada greeted.

"Owada-san. Good evening." Alter ego recognized the bartender's voice. In respect to that, Naegi tersely held the phone out to Owada.

"…Nice to see you too, kid." A forlorn smile crossed the former delinquent's face.

A pregnant pause passed between them for a moment.

"Could you call a taxi?" Naegi asked the A.I

"Can do! Estimated time of arrival is 11 minutes."

Naegi nodded and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Chihiro's program doing good work for you guys down at the precinct?" Owada asked.

"You bet. And it's not just us. Most of the city is managed by Alter Ego at the center…Fujisaki was a genius." Alter Ego was an artificial intelligence created by Chihiro Fujisaki and one of the foundations for Hope's Peak's technological advancements. It could communicate with other humans with such fluency and fluidity that scientists who understood the concept doubted Alter Ego was truly computerized data. Naegi'd heard the men up top would sooner believe Alter Ego was a soul trapped in a machine. As ironic as that through process was, it evidenced just how far ahead Fujisaki was for his time; prodigious couldn't even begin to describe that kind of talent. Unfortunately, that talent came at a price.

"That's for damn sure. That kid could do anything he put his mind to. Thanks to him, we don't have to breathe that rotten air anymore."

"Is that why you were always jealous of him?" Naegi teased.

"You need _another_ reminder of why I used to be the leader of the crazy diamonds?"

"No thanks. One punch was enough for a lifetime." Naegi waved a hand back and forth.

"By the way. How's the family?"

"Just peachy. Glad you asked, Daiya's starting school next season."

Naegi beamed "That's great. Bet he's still as adorable as ever." He still remembered Owada's adopted son clinging to him like he was candy.

"Yeah, not much changed. He still asks for you sometimes. You should drop by once in a while. Taka would be glad to have you over. If he's got time."

"I'll take you up on that." And a successful one at that. His bar saw many customers daily, not exactly the most upstanding sort either. It made for a convenient spot for information digging where the police's information taps don't reach. "It's so weird thinking of you as a dad." He was the guy dads told their kids to stay away from.

"It's rewarding, you should try it some time."

"Eventually. But right now, it's not for me."

"No time like the present. Why don't you give Enoshima there a shot? She sounds fun and not to mention, one hell of a babe." Owada pointed to the party girl drooling on the counter in her sleep.

Naegi made a disgusted face. "I'm not that desperate. Besides, I barely know her."

"That right? She looked into _you_ though."

"Enoshima just playing around. I'm barely hanging in here as it is."

"Quit making excuses. I never thought I'd hit it off with Taka either but look at us now."

"I'll think about it." That was the best compromise he could offer.

"Taxi's almost here!" Naegi's phone vibrated and he stood from his chair

"By the way. Looks like you'll be paying." Owada said suddenly

Naegi looked at his friend like he'd grown two heads. "You said it was free."

"Yours was. Hers on the other hand." He pointed to the passed out Enoshima.

Naegi fought back the urge to palm his forehead. "I'll have Alter Ego forward it to you." He slung Enoshima's arm over his shoulder and picked her up by the waist. "Later."

"Stay safe…and don't do anything I wouldn't."

"Shut up."

He walked her to the exit, where a taxi waited to take them home. And, of course, Enoshima made sure to latch onto him the whole way, giving the detective not a moment's peace.

The look Yukizome gave him when she saw the two enter the apartment was one Naegi wasn't going to forget any time soon.

When they _finally_ reached the door, Naegi reached into the pockets of Enoshima's jeans, finding a key.

After a process of trial and error, he finally finds the bedroom and placed the owner on the queen-sized bed. He's thankful for the figurative and literal weight off his shoulders. It doesn't last long, an arm latches onto his wrist.

"You've got to be kidding me." Was the officer's reaction to suddenly being pulled onto the bed.

"Stay." She said, clearly still tipsy.

"You're drunk." He said, succinctly.

"I'm sober."

"Then you're not serious." Though this was likely the former case. "You probably won't remember a word I'm saying, but you ought to take better care of yourself."

He forcefully unlatched himself from the girl's grip and shoved her hand underneath the covers. He needed to lock the door… Enoshima could come pick up her key tomorrow.

He searched for anything he could use for a note. He tried her desk, where he got a closer look of the literature stacked atop it. Naegi found what he needed, but now his attention diverted to the open book atop the furniture. The cover was worn, and the text on the open pages were in a language he'd never seen before.

He shook his head. Those were his habits at work; he didn't have a right to snoop through someone's belongings without a warrant…and there wasn't a need for one here of all places. Instead, Naegi placed the note where it would easily be found.

He approaches the door. Curiously, he focuses on a set of shoes in front of the doorway. A man's pair. He… briefly spotted her date with those shoes. But…there was nobody else in the house.

…

"No good. The less I know about Enoshima's romantic escapades, the better." He left the lion's den and, once in the safety of his own home, let out a deep breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said. "It's too hot."

It was room temperature.

* * *

Owada closed the store entrance, turning on the alarms. He lit a cigarette and strolled towards his car, chuckling to himself. He'd seen a lot of folks come around and that chick looked like the type to chase after whatever she wanted until she got it. "Stay strong, Naegi…or I'll go broke in one night."

Owada was fine with either outcome, if not leaning towards Enoshima's success. He wouldn't hold his breath as many have tried, and they've all failed.

A strange sight distracted Owada. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of a teenager around his car. "What do you think you're doing?" Owada repressed his urge to sound threatening in case he came to a misunderstanding.

He saw a twinkle in the eyes of a girl, no older than fifteen. "Good evening, mister-"

"I haven't got all night. What're you selling?" She clearly wanted something from him. Usually, he'd tell her to scram, but Owada was always left in a good mood whenever Naegi came for a visit. And what was a brat like this doing roaming the streets at this hour anyway?

Heeding his words, she smiled sweetly. "Salvation."

Owada's immediate response would be to ask what the hell she was talking about, but she spoke with a fervor that gave the older man pause.

He'd listened in on crazies and drunks over the years. You'd have to be an idiot to take their ramblings at face value, however, even the nuttiest stories were rooted in some degree of truth. You just had to find the source.

So, he asked, "Who'll be saving me?"

She giggled at his question. "We can only save ourselves. Atua can teach us how."


	6. Disillusion

_He wakes to a bizarre landscape; the sinking ruins of a gone society. Buildings, several stories tall, float above the lustrous ocean - A sea of liquid gold stretched out beyond the horizon._

_He stands upright, legs floating above the water's surface. From the size of the almost entirely submerged skyscrapers, he couldn't fathom how deep the ocean went. What was he standing on? He tried pulling his legs up but to no avail; it felt like his ankles were encased in cement. He couldn't drown and he couldn't escape._

_He tilts his head downwards, searching for what lies beneath the ocean's surface._

Naegi's eyes snapped open at the sound of his morning alarm.

"Not again." He was boiling hot, sweaty and…couldn't move his body? Fearing that the dream had taken a sudden realistic turn, Naegi threw open the covers and twists around. Arms coil around his waist. In shock, he threw himself off the bed and landed harshly on the floor.

Naegi rushed for his glasses, clumsily putting them on.

The commotion roused the girl awake. With the bed was positioned across the window, the sun's rays reflected onto her straw-berry blond hair, endowing her with an angelic radiance.

What was Junko Enoshima doing on his bed? Naegi composes himself quickly. "How'd you get in here?"

"Good morning." The girl yawned. The covers slid down her body. Naegi couldn't be more thankful to see her dressed…in the same clothes she'd worn to the bar last night. She smiled down at him with mischief. Not unlike a feline who'd stumbled on a sparkling, new toy to play with.

Naegi composes himself quickly. "How'd you get in here?"

Enoshima blinks. "You brought me."

"I put you in your room." He scoffed.

"Wow, you must've been wasted. Not as much as me probably, but still." Enoshima yawned into her hand as if this ordeal was a minor inconvenience. "I woke up here in the middle of the night, then went back to sleep."

"That's impossible."

"That's what they all say." She stretched her arm, then sat cross legged on the mattress. "I wonder how you'd even get into _my_ room anyway."

"Your key."

Enoshima crossed both arms in an 'X'. "Bzzzzt. _Now that's impossible_. I lost my key two days ago."

"You had it with you. It's right-" Naegi searches for the key he left on his desk and found not a trace of it.

Eyes narrow in suspicion. "I'll need to search you." Depending on how this conversation went, talking might not be enough to settle the matter.

"_This really hurts, Naegi._ But whatever." She says with a half smile. Long creamy legs slide out of the bed and touch ground. She raises her arms over head - one clasping the other - and pushes her chest out. "Do whatever you have to."

Naegi resists the urge to groan. "No sudden movements." He muttered grumpily.

They were roughly the same height, standing at eye-level. Naegi's hands started search from underneath her arms, travelling down her waist.

His pat down of her skirt only shows a wallet and other essentials, but no key.

"You're clean." He steps back.

Enoshima smirks. "Whew. Here I was worried I'd smell without my morning shower. You sure know how to make a girl nervous!"

"This doesn't mean you're in the clear." It only raised more questions. "If you didn't have a key, how did you lock your door, and how would you get in?"

"The landlady." She replies. "Yukizome has the master key, so until she gets me a spare, she locks up after I leave, and I have to go to her if I need my door opened. Check with her if you don't believe me."

_I will_

"Even if that was true, you shouldn't carelessly trouble other people. I'm sure Yukizome has her hands full all day."

"_I'm_ careless?" She sneers and motions a pointed finger in circle. "If you're accusing me of breaking in, doesn't that mean you keep your door open at night? Pretty gutsy, Naegi. Don't blame me when you get robbed for real."

"No I don't leave my door open." He argued.

Enoshima snickered victoriously. "How would I have _supposedly_ broken in then? I don't have the key to this place, so that means you leave the door open?"

"You could-"

…Damn.

Naegi had been about to open his mouth and reveal his trick for opening his door. He'd always been especially careful, making sure nobody else was around when entering his home. Enoshima shouldn't know about it.

He relented. This was a defeat no matter how you look at it. "Fine. We'll leave it at that, for now."

"That's it? Not even an apology?"

"When I'm sure of your innocence, you'll get one." It sounds ridiculous that she could be, but there's no evidence besides her being here.

From the looks of it, his compromise didn't alleviate the intruder's dissatisfaction. "I gotta say. I thought you'd be more bashful than this. Y'know, all stutter and blushes like you've never even touched a girl."

"All my training would be useless if I couldn't keep my cool around one civilian."

"So_ that's _why it's so hard to get a reaction out of you." That piece of information _does_ put a smile on the woman's face._ "_Always so serious. It wouldn't kill ya to lighten up._"_

"I-I can do that just fine with my friends." He retorts.

"Like Owada? Only your close associates get to see your vulnerable side, huh. Guess that means I've got one foot in the door already."

He stares quizzically.

"You were squirming a lot in your sleep. Like a kid." Enoshima pointed out.

Naegi's overwhelmed by lethargy, as scenes from the dream flood back. "I had a nightmare." He murmured.

"Try night terrors instead. You looked like you were having a panic attack. Wouldn't even wake up after I budged you, darling." Enoshima brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"…Darling?" Naegi spluttered and wracked his head thinking of what she could mean. "…Were you serious about that bet?"

Her fingers form a peace sign. "Oooh yeah. I'm a gal who always gets what she wants. It's boring otherwise. This morning is a pretty good start to being anything but."

"If you're bored, then go to work or find a hobby." Naegi straightened out his clothes. By this point, he had fully grasped the insanity of the intrusion.

"I don't have those kinds of obligations." Enoshima played with her nails.

Naegi squinted. "You don't?" Enoshima shook her head, to his surprise. Hope's Peak was costly to live in. A recent college graduate like himself had tons of loans he needed to work off. "What do you do?" He asked.

"What's this? You're finally interested in me?" She closes in.

He pushes her back by the shoulder "Never in the way you're thinking."

Enoshima stuck out her tongue. "In that case, I'm not spilling." She hopped back, motioning towards the door. She waves the back of her hand. "Next time you let me stay the night, let's be more proactive. Police roleplay wasn't a kink of mine, but I admit it's got potential."

"Leave." He shot the minx a glare as she waltzed out of his room, leaving behind the fragrance of strawberries and spice in her wake. That and about dozens of thoughts spiralling in Naegi's head.

It had been late, and he'd gone out drinking more than usual. If he couldn't open Enoshima's door without a key, it's possible he made a lapse in judgement and brought her here out of convenience.

That would explain everything. Naegi himself was still in the white dress shirt and pants he wore to work. Only his suit hangs off a nearby chair.

He sighs exasperatedly.

"Everyone does stupid things when they're tired and drunk. No biggie."

* * *

"What's the plan, Kirigiri?" Naegi places coffee on his partner's desk and retreats a small distance away.

Kyoko Kirigiri sifted through paperwork; fingers tapped down on a set of photographs. "The murders. The Atua cult case is too cold to get anything definitive, and Shingen General Hospital can likely wait."

"It's just like you to be so far ahead. Our culprit isn't going to know what hit him." Naegi declared.

"_'Our'_ culprit. You're on board then?" Kirigiri spun his chair slowly until she faced him.

The warning undertones catch him off guard. "You don't want me to?"

"Perhaps." Kirigiri leaned back.

"If you're still mad about Owari…"

"That's related. The victim count is up to 5. The most recent incident being several days ago. Come have a look." She gives him the okay to come near her. Naegi rests one arm on the back of the chair and leans forward to look at the file.

The gruesome sight of young men strung up and impaled, is captured in the pictures.

"…Give me a heads-up next time." Naegi said dryly. He meets Kirigiri's calculating gaze. "…Do I have donut crumbs on my face?"

"Not this time. If you're prepared to handle your first mass homicide, feel free to tag along."

"You can count on me." He didn't know why she suddenly changed her tune, but he won't argue.

"To try your best to not get in her way, I'm sure." A new entrée came into view - A tall, lanky man with ghostly hair, both in color and cloud-like shape.

"How's it going, Komaeda?" Naegi addressed his fellow detective.

"I'm not one to complain, but standby is boring." Nagito Komaeda was sickly pale. Enough that Naegi used to tell him to rest or check in with a hospital whenever he could. Not that the older man would lend an ear to his advice. "The chief said I should act as reserve on the serial murders in case my meager talents are required. Although, with Kirigiri on the job, I doubt that'll be necessary."

Naegi nodded amicably. "I know exactly how you feel. I can barely keep up with her."

Komaeda smiled. "It's impressive if you could do that much. I'm sure even _you'd_ learn something studying someone of Kirigiri's class, work."

"I don't believe I've ever mentioned my class." Kirigiri interjected.

"Haha, don't be modest. As if anyone with your record could be less than one of our shining lights."

Naegi detected faint traces of discomfort from his partner. Not in her expressions, she didn't seem bothered in the slightest. It was more…intuition. "Does any of that matter? At the end of the day, Kirigiri's efforts are what got her this far."

_Komaeda pats him on the head_.

"It's cute you think that, but you ought to consider something, Naegi. All the exceptional people in this city, the ones at the top are all high-class. Even in the station, nobody below Beryl can work here. Do you know why?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me." Naegi lowers his eyes.

"Because the likes of you barely scrape the talent quota necessary to _be_ a detective."

"…We're in the same class." Naegi states the obvious.

"I've long made peace with my mediocrity. You'll be better off doing the same."

"Chill out, guys." The rising tension deflates when Shuichi Saihara happens upon the discussion. His face wracked with nervousness. If one were to look, they'd see many other spectators staring up from their desks.

"Komaeda…the chief is calling you…and Kirigiri." Saihara said.

Komaeda cracked a triumphant grin, as if he'd won some one-sided competition. "Shall we go?" He beckoned Kirigiri.

The lilac-haired woman stood, following Komaeda. But not before glancing at Naegi.

He scratches his head, unable to answer the silent plea for help.

"What was that about?" Saihara asks.

"That was you saving me from classism." He couldn't say the same from Kirigiri though. "I can't get along with that guy."

"Ah, I figured as much. He's not too far off. You know there's a correlation between gems and talent. Be it in athletic ability, intellect or social charisma. The guys at the top are more skilled and accomplished than we are." Saihara calmly assesses, as part of the Beryl class, just like Naegi. The issue was that so was Komaeda. "I can't help but wonder why he feels the way he does. After all, he's one of the best in the station."

Very arguably as good as Kirigiri was. "Ever tried asking him?"

"You kidding? Komaeda doesn't give me the time of day. You don't get along as badly as you might think. Some of us are like a different species in Komaeda's eyes." Saihara gave a low, pitying laugh.

"I'm not sure what you're implying. If all Komaeda cares about is talent, he'd be more likely to see that in you." Naegi slipped into Kirigiri's chair.

"That's a bit much." Saihara tipped his hat, as if to shield his face.

Naegi faked a sigh. "Even though we started at the same time. Even though you're one year younger than me, you've already solved multiple cases by yourself. Rumor has it that Togami's even thinking of promoting you."

"C-Come on. Stop." Saihara flushed.

"Meanwhile I'm still getting babied." He circled his finger on Kirigiri's desk.

Saihara folded his arms defiantly. "From what I've heard, you've broken conduct a few times. It's impressive that all you ever get is a slap on the wrist from the chief."

Naegi's head shot up at the tone. "Well there's a reason for that."

"If that weren't enough, that no-nonsense Kirigiri tolerates you just as much." Saihara presses his counterattack

"I'm her partner, she has to-"

"And you're liked by everyone."

"T-That's not true!" Naegi said, slackjawed.

"_Really_." With a skeptical tone, Saihara pursed his lips. "What were you doing on the 14th?"

"Valentines? I…didn't have a date if that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't – and wow, you admitted that so easily." What's with that pitying look? "You wouldn't have happened to help out a guy fix his car, would you?"

"Yeah, his name was Momota. Do you know him?"

Saihara nodded. "He's my closest friend."

"Oh…he did mention a Shuichi. I didn't think the sidekick was you."

Saihara lightly groaned. "He mentioned you helped him out of a jam. Thanks for that. I know Kaito can be a handful."

"I've handled worse." Naegi scratched his cheek. "How is he?"

Saihara visibly winced.

"Hm?" Naegi prodded.

"I actually don't know. Harukawa's kept him on house arrest for skipping out on her that night. I'm…not even sure he's still alive."

Naegi leans back into Kirigiri's seat, his heart going out to the astronaut-in-training. _"Women are trouble."_

* * *

"Good evening, Yukizome." Naegi passed by the bubbly woman sweeping the lobby.

"Somebody's early." She waved.

"Haha. I'm not…always late." He bashfully rubs the back of his head. Yukizome's stone-faced. "Togami pays a ton, I can't complain."

"Money can only go so far." Yukizome's motherly disposition was comforting, if a bit unnecessary. "Look at you, total bones." She poked at his arms.

"So I've heard. I don't really have time to cook." He scratched his cheek.

"That's fine. If you can't watch out for yourself then you can have your girlfriend do it for you." Yukizome grins fiendishly.

He needed to smoothen his way out of this angle. "...By the way. Is it true Enoshima misplaced her key?"

Yukizome hums thoughtfully. "Yeah, I should have the spare ready by Monday."

That settled it. Naegi had been dreaming. He really did owe Enoshima an apology. On the other hand, the woman in front of him was clearly not innocent either. "If you knew that. Why didn't you say anything when we walked in last night?"

The grin. It reappears "I tried helping in my own way. From the looks of it, things worked out between you two~"

Naegi creased his brows deeply. "I don't really get it."

"Enoshima told me all about it. I think you two are moving a little too fast but hey, you're young!"

He did not like the sound of that.

Naegi trekked to his apartment room with foreboding in the pit of his stomach. He twisted open the door and immediately took note of the lights on.

"Welcome home." Enoshima's head poked out of the kitchen. She'd tied it up in a ponytail.

Naegi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Getting angry did nobody favors. "Enoshima-san, let's get something stra-…what's that smell?" The intoxicating aroma drew him to the kitchen, where his stomach growled at the sight of a proper meal.

He chooses to ignore the triumphant expression plastered all over the diva.

"This...doesn't excuse you breaking in." There wasn't nearly as much authority in his words as he'd like.

"I didn't break in this time, either. Yukizome let me in."

_"She did what!?" _Naegi shook his head_._ "Never mind, I believe you. But why?"

"She asked for details about what happened last night. I just told her the truth." She pushed Naegi from the back, setting him into the chair. "However she might've interpreted things, is none of my business."

…He should have known from that implicative way Yukizome'd eyed him.

"You really keep me on my toes." Naegi sighed. "So, what's all this for?"

"I thought I'd repay one of the favors I owe you and make dinner. Don't worry, the ingredients were all mine, your stuff's still in the fridge." She sits across him.

This was a wealth of consideration she was showing. "…You can't believe how suspicious you are right now." He looked at the food warily. What could be in it?

"Oh my god. Just accept my generosity already!"

Maybe he was overly critical. Throughout this whole ordeal, Enoshima hadn't done anything wrong. "I appreciate the gesture, but letting you sleep here and bringing you home was a normal thing to do." And his obligation as an officer of the law. His modesty only seemed to encourage Enoshima's antics though.

"We got off on the wrong foot, that's why I thought I'd try a different approach." Oh boy, did they. Their first meeting had left a pretty negative impression on him.

"You mean having a mundane, ordinary conversation?"

"Yeah, that."

"…Who am I to say no to dinner?"

* * *

"That was great. You're an amazing cook, Enoshima-san."

"Best way to get a man is through his stomach." Naegi flushed at the advance. "Kidding. Personally, I know a _ton_ of faster ways, but this _was_ Yukizome's advice…"

"That woman won't be satisfied until she tosses me at the altar."

"Can't blame her. The tux makes you look cute." Enoshima complimented him. "By the way, what's a cuddly guy like you doing with the big boys in the police force. You uh, don't seem fit for it, no offense."

"None taken." He felt neither indignation or embarrassment at the snark. It was a known fact that he didn't exactly have the physique for his position.

"You got the hots for a babe named justice or something?"

"Um, no." Naegi began "…I just want to help people."

It was a vague, nebulous sentiment that elected a puzzled response from Enoshima. But Naegi meant it in a very specific way.

"It's been my dream since childhood. You know when kids play cops and robbers, or say they want to grow up to be one." Enoshima didn't react, making him feel a little awkward. Still, he continues. "In my case, I took a bit far. Some of my earliest memories was playing those types of games with my baby sister. I always wanted to be the police, and she never wanted to be the robber. We'd fight a little, then end with a compromise; we'd play cops and citizen. I'd be the police giving her my services. It could have been running errands, keeping her out of trouble, or helping her find missing items." He said in a low voice. "The feelings I had during those times stuck with me, now here I am. I think it's a stretch to say I could make the city safer, but I'd be glad to help make even one person's day a little better."

Enoshima studied him.

"I know it's silly."

"It is. But I don't _feel_ like laughing, not when you're that serious about it." Enoshima continued. "Although, games are fun and all, but people like that get taken advantage of in the real world. Worst case scenario, they might lose their chance at happiness."

Naegi blinked, he hadn't expected Enoshima to give what he said some serious thought. "I know but I've never been able to turn down someone in need. I always try to do the right thing, when given the chance. They're like my instincts." He's proud to be a helper, even if it might be unglamorous in the eyes of others.

"I get you!" Enoshima said excitedly. "Instincts are what make us who we are. We can't fight them even if we wanted to. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow and fuck the consequences!"

He wouldn't go _that_ far. "I…might be getting to the bottom of your lack of self-restraint."

"Go big or go home~" Was the strawberry-blonde's rhetoric.

"Fair enough. But enough about me, what about you? Why come to this district?" Naegi suddenly asked.

Enoshima deadpans. "Whoa, didn't know this was give and take."

"Let's just say I'm interested."

"Fiiine, if you put it that way...Laugh and I'm kicking you in the shins." She twirled her pink locks.

"I doubt it's trivial enough to." Naegi replied.

Hope's Peak was a bustling metropolis yet, this progress was hard-earned and required the compliance, effort and taxation of every citizen who lived within the city's walls. District 14 was not an environment a man with even a mediocre salary could survive in; they needed to be exceptional talents who earned far above the norm to meet the standard of adequate living – For those who could still be considered significantly wealthy under these circumstances…well, they were a different breed entirely. Sadly, it had one thing in common with all other districts – crime and poverty, while in the minority, were still apparent.

And so Naegi couldn't imagine Enoshima. or anyone for that matter, would move here with half-baked intentions. This city wasn't for the faint of the heart or the poor, as bad as that sounded.

She must have her reasons.

"I'm looking for love." Enoshima rested her chin on her hand.

Naegi cocked his head to the side. "…Like a marriage?"

"Nope." She popped the 'p'. "You know. It's this supposed feeling where you get all giddy and junk."

Naegi's head tips to the other side. "I know what love is...but…you _need _to find that here?"

"it can _only_ be here."

"I…don't understand. How do you plan on going about this? How are you making a living?" He wasn't even fishing for information at this point. Enoshima's response was more frivolous than even he'd dreamed.

Enoshima hid a Cheshire smile behind her hand, her shoulders shaking in a silent laughter.

"What?" He asked.

"You've never been in love." Her declaration took him aback.

"I haven't. Not like that." He spoke honestly. Owada sort of already blew that cover the previous night anyway. But what's that have to do with anything?

"Cheer up. I ain't judging a guy in the same boat." Enoshima remarked.

Naegi was sure he wasn't making a sour expression. Sure, it was still embarrassing to admit at his age, but the people around him gave his love affairs more thought than he ever did.

"For your information, this is also the reason you've seen me with multiple guys."

"I didn't ask." He said, his lips forming a line.

With the quirk of her lips, he knows she enjoys making him uncomfortable.

"I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm a woman on a mission, and while it might look like I play around, I take my goals very seriously."

"I'll hold you to that." By some chance, his impressions of Enoshima had grown, then spiraled into who-knows-where territory. What a strange woman.

"With that said. Go out with me."

"What?"

"You're my next target." She leans over the table, her pointed fingernails almost touching his forehead.

"Forget that bet already!" He spluttered.

"Hey hey hey. I hope you still don't think I'm joking. I'm very serious, Naegi."

In that case, all he to say is "Good luck. You're fighting an uphill battle." Enoshima's eyes twinkle with bemusement. That's fine, she can entertain herself however she wants, but that doesn't mean he'll put up with it.

"But let me say this. I have a dream, it's important to me. I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of it." He narrowed his eyes.

Enoshima's phone rang at that moment. She looked at the caller ID with scorn. " I'm busy." She said without naming herself or the caller.

"…" She sighed and rubbed her temples. With the press of the button she ended the call.

Naegi blinked. "Who was that?"

"_That _was my older sister. Excuse me while I go bail her out of a fine mess, she's gotten herself in."

Sister? Naegi shuddered at the thought of another Enoshima. One was already proving more than he could handle.

"…The food was great. Thanks." He admitted as he walked her to the front door.

"This was fun, Naegi." Enoshima waved.

He closed the door. He strolled into the kitchen and brought the dirty dishes to the sink. Tap water runs. Naegi can't help whistling to himself. The day had gotten off to a rocky start…but he could do with more endings like that. Choice of company was a bit questionable though.

He rarely had anyone over. That might be one of the reasons why he was seldom around, even on work-free days. The detective couldn't deny the emptiness left his home bleak.

However, that also made it easier to tell when that emptiness had been filled. The rustling behind him has the detective twisting his body. He freezes. Someone who should not be there, was.

A masked figure.

"Who-" Stunned, he's unable to get out more than a word before a blunt object strikes his head. His glasses fly off as he's knocked to the floor. The world spins, as does his vision.

Naegi struggles to look up at his attacker. His face twists in a weak glare, the only meager resistance he could muster.

His final flickers of consciousness show his attacker clumsily stepping back, their body shaking with an emotion he can't describe.

Then darkness comes.


End file.
